Autophagy in Myocardial Differentiation and Cardiac Development

Autophagy represents an important biological process that contributes to cellular homeostasis. It is induced when the cell experiences stress, including nutrient and energy deprivation. For instance, the absence of nutrients and growth factors induces autophagy within minutes.1 Autophagy functions to protect cells against potential damage in association with exposure to stress, and thereby helps to defend cells and, subsequently, organs against dysfunction. There are multiple lines of evidence that autophagy has disease-preventing effects and, if disease still occurs, autophagy may limit disease severity.2 In addition, autophagy appears to play a key role in delaying the aging process.3,4Article, see p e29How does autophagy mediate such disease-preventing and disease-limiting effects? For damage control, cells generate double-membrane vesicles, called autophagosomes, which sequester portions of the cytosol, including proteins and organelles. After fusion of an autophagosome with a lysosome, the sequestered cytosolic contents are degraded. This process allows cells to eliminate and recycle …