Autophagy and Cell Death Pathways

Autophagy is a cell cleanup process that can also lead to cell death. Christian de Duve discovered autophagy, in which cell parts are enclosed in membrane-bound sacs called autophagosomes. These autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes, which digest the material inside.

In many cells, autophagy he...

Autophagy  is a catabolic process that helps cells to survive under stressful conditions such as starvation, viral infection, or accumulation of old proteins.

During autophagy, autophagosomes and autolysosomes form to remove damaged organelles and degrade old proteins.

Autophagy is also involved in cell death, and these types of ce...