Mizushima Noboru, Levine Beth, Cuervo Ana Maria, Klionsky Daniel J
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
Nature. 2008 Feb 28;451(7182):1069-75. doi: 10.1038/nature06639.
Autophagy, or cellular self-digestion, is a cellular pathway involved in protein and organelle degradation, with an astonishing number of connections to human disease and physiology. For example, autophagic dysfunction is associated with cancer, neurodegeneration, microbial infection and ageing. Paradoxically, although autophagy is primarily a protective process for the cell, it can also play a role in cell death. Understanding autophagy may ultimately allow scientists and clinicians to harness this process for the purpose of improving human health.
自噬,即细胞自我消化,是一种参与蛋白质和细胞器降解的细胞途径,与人类疾病和生理机能有着惊人数量的关联。例如,自噬功能障碍与癌症、神经退行性疾病、微生物感染及衰老相关。矛盾的是,尽管自噬主要是细胞的一种保护过程,但它也能在细胞死亡中发挥作用。了解自噬最终可能会让科学家和临床医生为改善人类健康而利用这一过程。