Autophagy
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The first Keystone Symposium on Autophagy in Health and Disease was held in Monterey, a scenic city on the Pacific coast in central California, April 15-20, 2007. The symposium brought together approximately 280 participants, from basic researchers to physicians and journalists. ⋯ Three afternoon workshops focused on short talks selected from the posters, and a special discussion session led by experts dealt with techniques and concerns regarding experimental detection of autophagy. The symposium highlighted autophagy as a potential therapeutic target in a wide range of diseases, including cancer, microbial infection, myopathies and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Studies on human and animal models of retinal dystrophy have suggested that apoptosis may be the common pathway of photoreceptor cell death. Autophagy, the major cellular degradation process in animal cells, is important in normal development and tissue remodeling, as well as under pathological conditions. Previously we provided evidence that genes, whose products are involved in apoptosis and autophagy, may be coexpressed in photoreceptors undergoing degeneration. ⋯ In summary, the study first suggests that autophagy participates in photoreceptor cell death possibly by initiating apoptosis. Second, it confirms that cells that normally die by apoptosis will execute cell death by necrosis if the normal pathway is blocked. And third, these results argue that the up-stream regulators of autophagy need to be identified as potential therapeutic targets in photoreceptor degeneration.