Eaten Alive: Macroautophagy

Macroautophagy is the process of breaking down proteins, organelles and other nutrients your body may contain. Studies of Macorautophagy date back to about fifty years ago but have only recently been unfolded within the last fifteen years. Now, instead of just accepting the fact that cells self-digest its own components, we have discovered not only do the cells rid the body of damaged organelles and invading microorganisms, but they also provide nutrients and energy to and for the body. With this knowledge and further development of studies, we can begin to understand more about “human pathophysiology and fields extending into cancer, neurodegeneration, immune response, development and ageing” . In this blog post, I will “recycle” some of the current knowledge about Macroautophagy and “breakdown” the role of autophagy in health and disease.

Macroautophagy was a concept that was brought together by a series of small discoveries beginning about fifty years ago. It was a series of small discoveries that eventually were bound together in order to form this consensus. The first finding of autophagy was made around fifty years ago. In these studies it was determined that ‘dense bodies’ included lysosomal enzymes which recycle and digest broken down organelles. It was not until 1963 that the Ciba Foundation coined the term ‘autophagy’. Also, it was not until 1963 that the discovery of a cell containing multiple phases of disintegration was made.

Macroautophagy begins its function with the inside of the cell membrane. The organism recognizes and engulfs sections that are no longer working inside of the cell. From there, the cell decides whether to reproduce or just give off the energy and nutrients back to the organism.

Autophagy is important in the development of the human body. In recent studies, scientist have released information that autophagy might have a large impact on some common and deadly diseases. First off, it plays a large role Cancer development, which seems to be the most common diagnosis in today’s society. Autophagy plays a role in tumor suppression because the body can recognize the foreign cells and break them down, thus causing the tumor to not form. But, on the other hand, autophagy does not break down enough of the cells in order to get rid of the tumor. The tumor then forms and begins to exploit autophagy for its own development. Therefore, the tumor cells reproduce at rapid speed. It is important for scientist to understand this concept in order to keep the tumor from using the organisms own system against itself. Further studies and development information of the regulatory pathways will give us the ability to in fact use autophagy in the cell for only good organelle development.

Lastly, I have to reiterate that discoveries of autophagy and how it works, has only been recently helpful in the development of medicine. “Our current knowledge of autophagy, especially in human physiology, represents only the tip of the iceberg” . These studies of where autophagy comes in and breaks down the dead, “defective proteins” or cells inside of a loving organism have shown that autophagy works in order to maintain and provide energy to the body. Although, our knowledge is already growing quickly, it is critical to have more studies and knowledge about autophagy in the near future.