To Eat or to Die: Deciphering Selective Forms of Autophagy

• Published in: Trends in biochemical sciences (Amsterdam. Regular ed.) 2020-04, Vol.45 (4), p.347-364
• Main Authors: Abdrakhmanov, Alibek, Gogvadze, Vladimir, Zhivotovsky, Boris
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Medicin och hälsovetenskap; mitophagy; nucleophagy; pexophagy; reticulophagy; ribophagy; xenophagy
• ISSN: 0968-0004; 1362-4326
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2019.11.006

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process whereby damaged and redundant components of the cell are degraded in structures called autophagolysosomes. Currently, three main types of autophagy are recognized: macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). However, we still know little about some specific types of autophagy that are linked to various intracellular compartments and their roles in the physiology of the whole organism and connections to various diseases. Here, we aim to shed light on the latest insights on and mechanisms of several selective forms of autophagy. The evolutionarily conserved process for the elimination of damaged and redundant components in cells is known as autophagy. Currently three forms of autophagy are described: macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy.Recent advances in biochemistry and cell biology have revealed the selectivity of autophagy toward the various intracellular compartments. These selective types of autophagy are essential to ensure normal functioning of the cell.Dysregulation of autophagy and its selective types can cause numerous diseases, including neurodegeneration, microbial infections, and cancer.Understanding the molecular mechanisms of selective types of autophagy will help in the development of new compounds and therapeutic strategies to fight a wide spectrum of diseases.