Coordination of autophagy with other cellular activities
Abstract
Yan WANG, Zheng-hong QIN*
Department of Pharmacology and Laboratory of Aging and Nervous Diseases (SZS0703), Soochow University School of Pharmaceutical Science, Suzhou 215123, China
The cell biological phenomenon of autophagy has attracted increasing attention in recent years, partly as a consequence of the discovery of key components of its cellular machinery. Autophagy plays a crucial role in a myriad of cellular functions. Autophagy has its own regulatory mechanisms, but this process is not isolated. Autophagy is coordinated with other cellular activities to maintain cell homeostasis. Autophagy is critical for a range of human physiological processes. The multifunctional roles of autophagy are explained by its ability to interact with several key components of various cell pathways. In this review, we focus on the coordination between autophagy and other physiological processes, including the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), energy homeostasis, aging, programmed cell death, the immune responses, microbial invasion and inflammation. The insights gained from investigating autophagic networks should increase our understanding of their roles in human diseases and their potential as targets for therapeutic intervention.
Keywords: autophagy; apoptosis; UPS; aging; immunity; energy homeostasis; cell growth
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No 81000547; 30930035), the National Basic Research Program of China (No 2011CB510003), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail qinzhenhong@suda.edu.cn
Received 2012-11-04 Accepted 2012-12-26
Keywords:
Department of Pharmacology and Laboratory of Aging and Nervous Diseases (SZS0703), Soochow University School of Pharmaceutical Science, Suzhou 215123, China
The cell biological phenomenon of autophagy has attracted increasing attention in recent years, partly as a consequence of the discovery of key components of its cellular machinery. Autophagy plays a crucial role in a myriad of cellular functions. Autophagy has its own regulatory mechanisms, but this process is not isolated. Autophagy is coordinated with other cellular activities to maintain cell homeostasis. Autophagy is critical for a range of human physiological processes. The multifunctional roles of autophagy are explained by its ability to interact with several key components of various cell pathways. In this review, we focus on the coordination between autophagy and other physiological processes, including the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), energy homeostasis, aging, programmed cell death, the immune responses, microbial invasion and inflammation. The insights gained from investigating autophagic networks should increase our understanding of their roles in human diseases and their potential as targets for therapeutic intervention.
Keywords: autophagy; apoptosis; UPS; aging; immunity; energy homeostasis; cell growth
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No 81000547; 30930035), the National Basic Research Program of China (No 2011CB510003), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
E-mail qinzhenhong@suda.edu.cn
Received 2012-11-04 Accepted 2012-12-26