Abstract:
Macroautophagy (herein autophagy) is a mechanism in which cells sequester a part of
cytoplasm within a double membrane structure called autophagosome and deliver it to the
vacuole for degradation. The degradation products, like amino acids and other basic building
blocks, are recycled back to the cytoplasm and are used up by the cell [1]. The process of
autophagy is highly conserved from yeast to humans. This process was first reported by
Christian de Duve [2]. Much of the insights on autophagy in yeast came from the work of
Ohsumi’s group when they observed vesicular structures of about 300- 900 nm within the
vacuoles during nutrient deficient conditions [3]. Apart from being cells’ adaptive response
to provide energy and nutrients during starvation, it is also an innate mechanism of cells to
degrade damaged or superfluous organelles and invading pathogens. Autophagy also plays a
wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological roles which include development, antiaging, tumor suppression and antigen presentation [4].
