autophagy

January 12, 2023

Study may lead to new diabetes, heart disease treatments

Vanderbilt research found that deletion of an autophagy-participating factor named PIK3C3 from the fat cells of mice led to compromised body temperature control, abnormal blood lipid levels, fatty liver and diabetes.

By Bill Snyder
From left, MacRae Linton, MD, Huan Tao, MD, PhD, Jonathan Brown, MD, and colleagues have discovered a potential new target for preventing atherosclerosis.
July 8, 2021

Nature’s “recycler” could reduce heart disease risk: study

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have identified potential new targets for the prevention of atherosclerosis through the enhancement of autophagy, a natural process for recycling damaged cellular material.

By Bill Snyder
July 20, 2017

Immune responses linked to cell’s recycling system

Autophagy is the cellular equivalent of trash pickup and recycling — it is a process by which proteins, protein aggregates and damaged cellular organelles are degraded in order to reuse nutrients and promote cellular metabolism.

By Bill Snyder
September 13, 2012

Cells with LIP eat their neighbors

A transcription factor called LIP is capable of causing one cell to consume another.

By Leigh MacMillan