Abstract
Autophagy is a process in which eukaryotic cells sequester and degrade cytoplasm and organelles via the lysosomal pathway. This process allows turnover of intracellular organelles, participates in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and prevents accumulation of defective cellular structures. Increased autophagy is normally induced by environmental cues such as starvation and hormones, while excessive levels of autophagy can lead to autophagic programmed cell death (PCD), with features that differ from those of the apoptotic PCD process. Since autophagic PCD plays a key role in development, morphogenesis and regeneration in several animal taxa, identification of evolutionarily conserved components of the autophagic machinery is a basic starting point in order to unravel the role of autophagy under both physiological and pathological conditions. Here we summarize recent findings on the role of autophagy in two different invertebrate taxa, Platyhelminthes and Insects, focusing attention on two complex events occurring in those systems, namely planarian regeneration and insect metamorphosis. Both represent good models in which to investigate the process of autophagy and its relationship with other PCD mechanisms.
Keywords: Autophagy, autophagic programmed cell death, invertebrates, starvation, development, regeneration, planarian, insects
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: Autophagy in Invertebrates: Insights Into Development, Regeneration and Body Remodeling
Volume: 14 Issue: 2
Author(s): Gianluca Tettamanti, Emili Salo, Cristina Gonzalez-Estevez, Daniel A. Felix, Annalisa Grimaldi and Magda de Eguileor
Affiliation:
Keywords: Autophagy, autophagic programmed cell death, invertebrates, starvation, development, regeneration, planarian, insects
Abstract: Autophagy is a process in which eukaryotic cells sequester and degrade cytoplasm and organelles via the lysosomal pathway. This process allows turnover of intracellular organelles, participates in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and prevents accumulation of defective cellular structures. Increased autophagy is normally induced by environmental cues such as starvation and hormones, while excessive levels of autophagy can lead to autophagic programmed cell death (PCD), with features that differ from those of the apoptotic PCD process. Since autophagic PCD plays a key role in development, morphogenesis and regeneration in several animal taxa, identification of evolutionarily conserved components of the autophagic machinery is a basic starting point in order to unravel the role of autophagy under both physiological and pathological conditions. Here we summarize recent findings on the role of autophagy in two different invertebrate taxa, Platyhelminthes and Insects, focusing attention on two complex events occurring in those systems, namely planarian regeneration and insect metamorphosis. Both represent good models in which to investigate the process of autophagy and its relationship with other PCD mechanisms.
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Cite this article as:
Tettamanti Gianluca, Salo Emili, Gonzalez-Estevez Cristina, Felix A. Daniel, Grimaldi Annalisa and Eguileor de Magda, Autophagy in Invertebrates: Insights Into Development, Regeneration and Body Remodeling, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2008; 14(2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161208783378716
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161208783378716 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |

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