Autophagy mechanisms and roles: recent advances and implications.

Autophagy is the main catabolic process by which cells recycle cytoplasmic components and superfluous or damaged organelles to preserve metabolic homeostasis under normal conditions and promote survival under stress. As a tightly regulated and dynamic process, autophagy has critical roles in development and cell differentiation, immune function, organismal health and lifespan. Accumulating findings suggest that defective or dysregulated autophagy accelerates ageing and increases susceptibility to diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer, among others. This virtual issue of the FEBS Journal on Autophagy includes a collection of articles that present recent advances on the regulation of autophagy and provide a view of its complex roles in physiological and pathological contexts.