Our Research
The cells of higher organisms have an internal mechanism for chewing up and recycling parts of themselves, particularly in times of stress. This process of internal house-cleaning in the cell is called autophagy — literally self-eating — and it is now considered the second form of programmed cell death.
Autophagy, self-eating at the cellular level, is implicated in many aspects of human physiology and disease, including cancer, neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and cardiomyopathy, an enlargement of the heart.
Daniel Klionsky, Ph.D.
News
Sending one gene to pinch hit for its twin may offer possible treatment for a type of congenital anemia
A team of U-M researchers has found that two paralog genes — which can lead to two very different diseases — are functionally nearly identical. The findings indicate that one gene could be harnessed to help treat the disease associated with the other.
Breaking the brain’s garbage disposal: New study shows even a small problem causes big effects
A international team makes a key discovery about how the brain’s “garbage disposal” process works — and how little needs to go wrong in order for it to break down.
Publication Highlights
Gatica D, Lahiri V, Klionsky DJ, Nat Cell Biol (2018)
Delorme-Axford E, Abernathy E, Lennemann NJ, Bernard A, Ariosa A, Coyne CB, Kirkegaard K, Klionsky DJ, Autophagy (2018)
Kim M, et al., Elife (2016)
Hu G, McQuiston T, Bernard A, Park YD, Qiu J, Vural A, Zhang N, Waterman SR, Blewett NH, Myers TG, Maraia RJ, Kehrl JH, Uzel G, Klionsky DJ, Williamson PR, Nat Cell Biol (2015)
Bernard A, Jin M, González-Rodríguez P, Füllgrabe J, Delorme-Axford E, Backues SK, Joseph B, Klionsky DJ, Curr Biol (2015)