Pauline Rouaud-Tinguely
Scientific communication project leader
SILAB, BP 213, 19 108 Brive Cedex, France

Abstract

Autophagy is an essential process enabling cells to recycle their waste. Although it has been studied in the context of many biological functions, in 2006 SILAB was pioneer in the discovery and study of cutaneous autophagy. The use of innovative models allowed the development of a natural and detoxifying active ingredient.

AUTOPHAGY: CELLULAR RECYCLING MACHINERY

During its life, a eukaryotic cell is subjected to many internal and external stresses. The latter cause cellular alterations such as the appearance of lipid and protein aggregates or damage to organelles. The accumulation of this waste leads to the breakdown of cellular homeostasis that can cause cell death or the appearance of a variety of pathologies on the longer term.
Autophagy literally means "to eat oneself". It is a dynamic biological process by which a cell recycles its waste, thereby preventing its accumulation and the resulting harmful consequences (1). The essential nature of this mechanism has been highlighted by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology Medicine being awarded to the Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi of the Tokyo Institute of Technology for his work on autophagy (2).
Autophagy is controlled by ATG genes (AuTophagy-related Genes), beginning by the progressive formation of a membrane called the autophagosome, coated by the marker LC3 (3,4). This protein is a tracer of autophagy because it is expressed specifically throughout the process (5). The autophagosome closes around c ...