Autophagy in Physiology and Pathophysiology: Recent Advances

Dear Colleagues,

Autophagy is a critical intracellular recycling process known to play a crucial role in cellular homeostasis by preserving precise energy levels and performing quality control tasks. Numerous cell stress situations, including inadequate nourishment, low oxygen levels, and intracellular pathogen infections, frequently cause autophagy. Three main autophagy mechanisms have been identified in mammalian cells: macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). These systems differ in both morphological and mechanistic aspects. The majority of essential proteins involved in autophagosome biogenesis, the hallmark of macroautophagy, are encoded by autophagy-related genes (ATGs). Six functional complexes make up the core ATG machinery, which coordinates the phagophore's development and autophagosome biogenesis. The primary function of autophagy as a key component of the innate immune response and a critical line of defense against pathogen invasion (xenophagy) has been amply proven by a number of studies conducted over the past few decades. Autophagy and pathogen infections have a complicated interaction that can either inhibit or promote infection depending on the pathogen and cellular setting. Additionally, autophagy plays a role in a number of particular degradation processes, including the elimination of damaged organelles such as mitochondria (mitophagy) or peroxisomes (pexophagy). In this Special Issue, we will include reports detailing various autophagy-related activities both in physiological and pathological processes, emphasizing their molecular regulation.

Dr. María Isabel Colombo
Dr. Claudio Marcelo Fader
Guest Editors

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