Forkhead Box O (FoxO) Transcription Factors in Autophagy, Metabolic Health, and Tissue Homeostasis

Abstract

As transcription factors, the forkhead box O family proteins control the expression of genes that are involved in the regulation of autophagy and metabolism. The FoxO-autophagy axis has been shown to mediate cell differentiation and tissue development. Dysregulated FoxO activity may compromise tissue development and homeostasis, concomitant with metabolic abnormalities across tissues such as liver, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and heart. In this chapter, we discuss the mechanism or pathways of FoxO transcription factors regulating autophagy and tissue integrity, and the FoxO-autophagy axis in cellular metabolism and fate determination. The evidence summarized here suggests that targeting the FoxO-autoph-agy axis may lead to therapeutic options for metabolic derangements and cell or tissue dysfunction.