Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Autophagy in cell death: an innocent convict?
Beth Levine, Junying Yuan
Beth Levine, Junying Yuan
Published October 3, 2005
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2005;115(10):2679-2688. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI26390.
View: Text | PDF | Corrigendum
Review Series

Autophagy in cell death: an innocent convict?

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

The visualization of autophagosomes in dying cells has led to the belief that autophagy is a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death. This concept has now been evaluated using cells and organisms deficient in autophagy genes. Most evidence indicates that, at least in cells with intact apoptotic machinery, autophagy is primarily a pro-survival rather than a pro-death mechanism. This review summarizes the evidence linking autophagy to cell survival and cell death, the complex interplay between autophagy and apoptosis pathways, and the role of autophagy-dependent survival and death pathways in clinical diseases.

Authors

Beth Levine, Junying Yuan

×

Figure 2

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
The molecular mechanisms of autophagy. The autophagy (Atg) proteins can ...
The molecular mechanisms of autophagy. The autophagy (Atg) proteins can be divided into 4 functional groups, including (A) a protein kinase autophagy regulatory complex that responds to upstream signals, including nutrient limitation; (B) a lipid kinase signaling complex that mediates vesicle nucleation; (C) ubiquitin-like protein conjugation pathways that are required for vesicle expansion and completion; and (D) a retrieval pathway required for the disassembly of Atg protein complexes from matured autophagosomes. Shown are the yeast Atg proteins that participate in each functional group. Yeast Atg proteins with known orthologs in higher eukaryotes are underlined. PI, phosphatidylinositol; PI3-P, phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate; PE, phosphatidylethanolamine.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts