Department of Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Ōtsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan.
Clin Exp Nephrol. 2012 Dec;16(6):827-32. doi: 10.1007/s10157-012-0695-2. Epub 2012 Sep 13.
Autophagy meaning 'self-eating' in Greek, is a large-scale mechanism of intracellular degradation that seeks to maintain homeostasis in cells of all eukaryotes, from yeast to humans. Over the past several decades, autophagy research has actively proceeded both at home and abroad. As a result, studies have reported the physiological role of autophagy in different organs of mammals and of the role that impairment of its activation plays in the development of age-related diseases, abnormal glucose-lipid metabolism, and neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, new therapies targeting the regulation of activation of autophagy are anticipated, and research is continuing. In recent years, the role of autophagy in the kidneys has gradually been elucidated, and reports are indicating an association between autophagy and the development of various kidney diseases. This paper reviews the molecular mechanisms regulating autophagy and discusses new findings from autophagy research on the kidney and issues that have yet to be resolved.
自噬在希腊语中的意思是“自我吞噬”，是一种大规模的细胞内降解机制，旨在维持真核生物（从酵母到人）所有细胞的内环境稳定。在过去的几十年中，国内外的自噬研究都在积极进行。因此，研究报告了自噬在哺乳动物不同器官中的生理作用，以及其激活受损在衰老相关疾病、异常糖脂代谢和神经退行性疾病发展中的作用。目前，预计将出现针对自噬激活调节的新疗法，研究仍在继续。近年来，自噬在肾脏中的作用逐渐被阐明，有报道表明自噬与各种肾脏疾病的发展有关。本文综述了调节自噬的分子机制，并讨论了自噬在肾脏研究中的新发现和尚未解决的问题。
