A recent study from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India has revealed new details about how our cells clean up and recycle waste. This process, known as autophagy, is like a self-cleaning mechanism for cells, helping the cells stay healthy by getting rid of damaged parts and recycling useful components. The process involves formation of a vesicle called autophagosome, which encapsulates the cellular waste. The autophagosome then fuses with another type of vesicle called lysosome. The fused stage is called autolysosome. The autolysosome ultimately matures into lysosome, where the waste is degraded by different enzymes and important starting materials are released back into the cytoplasm. The autophagosomes, autolysosomes and lysosomes can be considered as different stages of the cellular recycling process. Therefore, when cells notice they have too much "junk" inside, autophagy kicks into action. It is like a little clean-up crew inside the cell that sorts out the waste, recycles useful parts, and disposes off the rest. However, autophagy is not just about tidying up. The process is also extremely crucial for survival. When cells face tough times, like deprivation of nutrients or oxygen, autophagy can break down older, less useful components to provide essential material and aid in survival. Hence, this is one of the most important processes in our body. Impaired autophagy is linked to cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, metabolic disorders like diabetes and cancer. Various proteins and small molecules work in tandem to regulate this vital process. Dysregulation of any of the regulators can lead to disruption in autophagy. Hence, for better understanding of how autophagy works, we need to know what’s happening inside the autophagic vesicles at every stage of the process. This is where this recent finding made an exciting leap forward.
