NCIt related terms : Autophagy - animal; Regulation of autophagy;
Alternative definition : KEGG: Autophagy (or macroautophagy) is a cellular catabolic pathway involving in protein
degradation, organelle turnover, and non-selective breakdown of cytoplasmic components,
which is evolutionarily conserved among eukaryotes and exquisitely regulated. This
progress initiates with production of the autophagosome, a double-membrane intracellular
structure of reticular origin that engulfs cytoplasmic contents and ultimately fuses
with lysosomes for cargo degradation. Autophagy is regulated in response to extra-
or intracellular stress and signals such as starvation, growth factor deprivation
and ER stress. Constitutive level of autophagy plays an important role in cellular
homeostasis and maintains quality control of essential cellular components.;