Can autophagy stop the clock: Unravelling the mystery in dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract

Autophagy is a major catabolic process in eukaryotes that helps to degrade and recycle macromolecules and organelles. Recent findings show inhibition of nutrient or growth-related signaling pathways or anti-aging pathways mediates lifespan extensions via autophagy. In the present communication, we have emphasized on the lower eukaryotic model organism Dictyostelium discoideum to study longevity and compared it to other model organisms, which uses autophagy as a major mechanism for increasing lifespan. We observed that both genetic and pharmacological manipulations on the nutrient-signaling pathway increased autophagy-mediated cell survival.