Self-digestion as a means of survival
In times of starvation, cells tighten their belts: they start to digest their own proteins and cellular organs. The process - known as autophagy - takes place in special organelles called autophagosomes. view more (2009-02-27)
Cellular pathway yields potential new weapon in vaccine arsenal
When a cell has to destroy any of its organelles or protein aggregates, it envelopes them in a membrane, forming an autophagosome, and then moves them to another compartment, the lysosome, for digestion. Two years ago, Rockefeller University assistant professor Christian Münz showed that this process, called autophagy, sensitizes cells for... view more... (2006-12-27)
New research helps explain genetics of Parkinson's disease
A new study by Narendra et al. suggests that Parkin, the product of the Parkinson's disease-related gene Park2, prompts neuronal survival by clearing the cell of its damaged mitochondria. view more (2008-11-24)
HIV uses autophagy for its own means
Not satisfied with simply thwarting its host's defensive maneuvers, HIV actually twists one to its advantage, based on new findings from Kyei et al. in the July 27, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org). Vojo Deretic and colleagues suggest that autophagy-a stress response process-helps HIV to proliferate and that conversely,... view more... (2009-07-27)
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