Open AccessMolecular mechanism and regulation of autophagy 1
Author(s) -
YANG Yaping,
LIANG Zhongqin,
GU Zhenlun,
QIN Zhenghong
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta pharmacologica sinica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.514
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1745-7254
pISSN - 1671-4083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2005.00235.x
Subject(s) - autophagy , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , bag3 , kinase , signal transduction , autophagy related protein 13 , protein kinase a , biochemistry , protein phosphorylation , apoptosis
Autophagy is a major cellular pathway for the degradation of ong‐lived proteins and cytoplasmic organelles in eukaryotic cells. A large number of intracellular/extracellular stimuli, including amino acid starvation and invasion of microorganisms, are able to induce the autophagic response in cells. The iscovery of the ATG genes in yeast has greatly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms participating in autophagy and the genes involved in regulating the autophagic pathway. Many yeast genes have mammalian homologs, suggesting that the basic machinery for autophagy has been evolutionarily conserved along the eukaryotic phylum. The regulation of autophagy is a very complex process. Many signaling pathways, including target of rapamycin (TOR) or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase‐I (PI3K‐I)/PKB, GTPases, calcium and protein synthesis all play important roles in regulating autophagy. The molecular mechanisms and regulation of autophagy are discussed in this review.