What is "autophagy"

Autophagy \Au*toph"a*gy\, n. [Gr. ? self + ? to eat.] (Med.) The feeding of the body upon itself, as in fasting; nutrition by consumption of one's own tissues.

n. 1 (context biology English) The process of self-digestion by a cell through the action of enzymes originating within the same cell. Often a defensive and/or self-preservation measure. 2 (context biology English) A type of programmed cell death accomplished through self-digestion 3 (context rare English) Self-consumption; the act of eating oneself.

Autophagy (or autophagocytosis) (from the Greek auto-, "self" and phagein, "to eat"), is the natural, destructive mechanism that disassembles, through a regulated process, unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components.

Autophagy allows the orderly degradation and recycling of cellular components. During this process, targeted cytoplasmic constituents are isolated from the rest of the cell within a double-membraned vesicle known as an autophagosome. The autophagosome then fuses with a lysosome and the contents are degraded and recycled. Three different forms of autophagy are commonly described: macroautophagy, microautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy. In the context of disease, autophagy has been seen as an adaptive response to stress, which promotes survival, whereas in other cases it appears to promote cell death and morbidity. In the extreme case of starvation, the breakdown of cellular components promotes cellular survival by maintaining cellular energy levels.

The name "autophagy" was coined by Belgian biochemist Christian de Duve in 1963.

Autophagy is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of autophagy. It is published by Landes Bioscience and the editor-in-chief is Daniel J. Klionsky. In June 2014, Taylor & Francis Online acquired Landes Bioscience and currently maintains Autophagy.

Autophagy can refer to:

• Autophagy (cellular)
• Self-cannibalism
• Autophagia, a mental disorder or a symptom of a mental disorder
• ''Autophagy '' (journal), a scientific journal

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