The Importance of Being Autophagic

The components of a well-oiled machine must be kept in optimal condition and be removed or replaced when they become worn out or damaged. The same is true for cells of the body, where proteins and organelles are routinely replaced when they become impaired, toxic, or surplus to requirements. The recycling of these components, be they protein complexes or aggregates, faulty mitochondria, or even intracellular pathogens, is thought to occur largely through autophagy. A word derived from the Greek meaning “to eat oneself,” autophagy consists of a family of catabolic lysosomal pathways that mediate the transfer of cytosolic components to . . .