DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY

FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF BENIN
BENIN CITY

COURSE CODE:
MCB (UNDERGRADUATE SEMINAR)

TOPIC:
AUTOPHAGY

SPEAKER:
(MISS)

MAT NO:

SUPERVISOR:

DATE:
 INTRODUCTION
 Autophagy is derived from Greek roots: auto, meaning 'self', and phagy, 'to
eat'. autophagy, or autophagocytosis, is a catabolic process involving the
degradation of a cell's own components through the lysosomal machinery
Münz (2009).

 When cells are faced with an inadequate supply of nutrients in their

extracellular fluid (ECF), they may begin to cannibalize some of their
internal organelles (e.g. mitochondria) for re-use of their components, Pua
et al. (2007).
 TYPES OF AUTOPHAGY
The term ‘Autophagy’ covers three processes:-

 Macroautophagy

 Microautophagy

 Chaperone-mediated autophagy

Source: Levine and Kroemer (2008).

Figure 1:Different types of autophagy
Source: Levine and Kroemer (2008).
 SELECTIVE AUTOPHAGY
 Pexophagy:- Autophagy selective for degradation of peroxisomes,
which can be separated into macropexophagy and micropexophagy.
 Mitophagy:- Autophagy selective for degradation of mitochondria,
which can be separated into macromitophagy and micromitophagy.
 Xenophagy:- Autophagy selective for degradation of intracellular
bacteria and viruses (foreign bodies).
 Aggrephagy:- Autophagy selective for protein aggregates.
 Reticulophagy:- Autophagy selective for endoplasmic reticulum.
 Heterophagy:- Autophagy selective for endosomes.
 Crinophagy:- Autophagy selective for golgi apparatus.
 Ribophagy:- Autophagy selective for ribosomes.

Source: Kundu and Thompson (2008).

 FUNCTIONS OF AUTOPHAGY
Autophagy is essential in helping to maintain the balance between the
increase and decrease in the number of a cell population. It is undoubtedly
active at a basal level in most cells and contributes to the routine turnover
of cytoplasmic components, Goldman et al.(2010).

Four predominant cellular functions can be assigned to autophagy:

 Nutrient generation
 Infection
 Repair mechanism
 Programmed cell death

Source: Rubinsztein (2005).

 AUTOPHAGY AND DISEASE
Autophagy is implicated in certain human diseases, for example autophagy
dysfunction has been associated with cancer, muscular disease and
neurodegeneration. Interestingly autophagy factors into both prevention
and promotion of cancer and its role maybe altered during tumor
progression, Mizushima et al. (2008).
Fig. 2: The role of autophagy in human disease
Source: Kundu and Thompson (2008).
 AUTOPHAGY AND AGING
 Fireworks went off in the scientific world when a paper appeared in Nature finding that
rapamycin, an antifungal drug used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, could
delay aging in laboratory animals, even when given late in life.

 Inhibiting the TOR (target of rapamycin) signaling pathway by genetic or pharmacological

intervention extends lifespan in variety of lower organisms. But no one knew if the same
process of mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibition could extend lifespan in
mammals. This was the basis of their design, and what they found was that rapamycin, an
inhibitor of mTOR, extends median and maximal lifespan of both male and female mice,
even when started at 600 days of age, the equivalent of a 60 year old human.

 Study in Nature shows that rapamycin has been found to induce autophagy. One study has
even found that rapamycin’s life extending benefits are, at least in part, due to autophagy.
Elevated levels of autophagy are generally thought to be beneficial for aging prevention,
owing to increased rates of removal of damaged molecules and organelles.
Harrison and Strong (2010).
 Conclusion
Although tremendous advances have been made in our
understanding of autophagy, many unanswered questions
remain. A fuller understanding of all types of autophagy is
necessary before we can hope to manipulate these pathways to
treat human disease.
Thank you for
listening……
…………..,