Autophagy is a complex collection of processes that recycle structures in the cell. Structures are in some way identified as damaged or surplus, then engulfed in an autophagosome membrane. That autophagosome is transported to a lysosome, where it fuses with the lysosome. The cargo is then broken down into raw materials by the enzymes contained in the lysosome. Measuring autophagy is difficult. Any given approach can be interpreted in different ways. Is increased expression of one autophagy protein indicative of more efficient autophagy or indicative of a part of the process that is breaking, degrading overall efficiency? This gives rise to some debate over how autophagy changes with age, and whether the interv…
The Challenges of Assessing Mitophagy, or Indeed Any Form of Autophagy
Autophagy is a complex collection of processes that recycle structures in the cell. Structures are in some way identified as damaged or surplus, then engulfed in an autophagosome membrane. That autophagosome is transported to a lysosome, where it fuses with the lysosome. The cargo is then broken down into raw materials by the enzymes contained in the lysosome. Measuring autophagy is difficult. Any given approach can be interpreted in different ways. Is increased expression of one autophagy protein indicative of more efficient autophagy or indicative of a part of the process that is breaking, degrading overall efficiency? This gives rise to some debate over how autophagy changes with age, and whether the interv…