Autophagy in Disease - Protein Misfolding and Cellular Stress in Disease and Aging - page 81

Table 1
The positive (beneits) and/or negative (disadvantages) contributions of autophagy with respect to the pathogenesis of
various human diseases

Autophagy in human disease

Condition/disease Positive contributions (beneits) Negative contributions (disadvantages)

Cancer Removal of damaged organelles

Reduces chromosome instability

Resistance of cancer cells to anticancer treat-
ment damage
Survival in conditions of low nutrient supply

Neurodegeneration Prevents accumulation of intracellular proteins and aggregates to

toxic levels

Defective autophagy results in accumulation of
toxic aggregates and proteins

Myopathies Prevents accumulation of aggregate prone proteins and/or

autophagic vacuoles

Muscle wasting and accumulation of non-
degraded APs

Heart disease Protects during ischemia and pressure overload Can be deleterious in excess

Liver disease Degrades portions of the ER (including misfolded proteins),

damaged mitochondria, and peroxisomes

Can be deleterious in excess, leading to
inlammation, cirrhosis, and cell death

Infection and immunity Removal of pathogens from host cell Antigen processing for MHC II

presentation

Some pathogens can subvert, escape, and exploit
autophagy to replicate and survive

Diabetes Maintenance of the architecture and function of pancreatic b-cells Reduced ability to produce insulin arising from

defective b-cell mitochondria and ER

Ageing and longevity Removal of damaged organelles Limits production of ROS Increased ROS production leads to organelle
dysfunction (e.g., mitochondria)
APs autophagosome(s), ER endoplasmic reticulum, MHC major histocompatibility complex, ROS reactive oxygen species