Research Lectures at Nobel Forum
Speaker: Noboru Mizushima
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
Venue: Nobel Forum, Nobels väg 1
Date/Time: 8 November, at 16.30
Host: Nils-Göran Larsson
Title: Physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of autophagy
Autophagy is a major degradation system in the cell. Intracellular components are sequestered by autophagosomes and then degraded upon fusion with lysosomes. Yeast genetic studies have identified more than 40 autophagy-related (ATG) genes. Many of these genes are conserved in higher eukaryotes, which brought about an exponential expansion of autophagy research in various organisms including mammals. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was eventually awarded to the scientist who spearheaded the rapid development of the field, Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi. However, there are a lot of questions and new directions remaining in the autophagy field. For example, roles for ATG proteins in mechanisms of autophagy remain largely unknown. Furthermore, we need to expand our understanding pathophysiological functions of autophagy and develop methods for monitoring autophagy, particularly in vivo. In this lecture, recent progresses and potential future directions of the autophagy research filed will be discussed.