Center for Reproductive Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, BJC Institute of Health - 10th Floor, RM 10606, 425 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8064, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Reprod Sci. 2022 Apr;29(4):1054-1067. doi: 10.1007/s43032-021-00587-2. Epub 2021 Apr 20.
Autophagy is a conserved fundamental cellular process with a primary function of catabolizing harmful or surplus cellular contents such as protein aggregates, dysfunctional/long-lived organelles, intracellular pathogens, and storage nutrients. An increasing body of evidence reveals that basal autophagy is essential for maintaining endometrial homeostasis and mediating endometrial-specific functions, including menstrual cycle, embryo implantation, and decidualization. However, perturbed levels of autophagy can lead to severe endometrial pathologies, including endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial cancer, adenomyosis, and leiomyoma. This review highlights the most recent findings on the activity, regulation, and function of autophagy in endometrium physiology and pathology. Understanding the mechanistic roles of autophagy in endometrium homeostasis and disease is key to developing novel therapeutic strategies for endometrium-related infertility and malignancies.
自噬是一种保守的基本细胞过程，其主要功能是分解有害或多余的细胞内容物，如蛋白质聚集体、功能失调/寿命长的细胞器、细胞内病原体和储存的营养物质。越来越多的证据表明，基础自噬对于维持子宫内膜的稳态和介导子宫内膜特有的功能（包括月经周期、胚胎着床和蜕膜化）是必不可少的。然而，自噬水平的失调会导致严重的子宫内膜病变，包括子宫内膜异位症、子宫内膜增生、子宫内膜癌、子宫腺肌病和子宫肌瘤。本综述强调了自噬在子宫内膜生理学和病理学中的活性、调节和功能的最新发现。了解自噬在子宫内膜稳态和疾病中的机制作用对于开发与子宫内膜相关的不孕和恶性肿瘤的新型治疗策略至关重要。
