A cell process discovered in fish has important implications for medical research and aquaculture
Autophagy is the process by which cells degrade and recycle their own components. It helps maintain homeostasis which is crucial to proper cell functioning. Among the different subtypes of autophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) has been the subject of particular attention in recent years due to the discovery that several human pathologies could be associated to CMA defects. This form of autophagy selectively targets proteins bearing a specific peptide sequence (i.e., the KFERQ motif) present in many protein families. Consequently, CMA helps degrade a wide range of proteins and plays an essential role in the regulation of several cell functions, including gene transcription, DNA repair, cell death and survival, cell metabolism, and the cell cycle. CMA defects have been linked to human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, certain types of cancer, metabolic disorders, and immune system diseases.