Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular mechanism that in most healthy tissues prevents the accumulation of abnormal proteins within the cells. Under specific stress conditions, however, the cells are able to use the autophagy to eliminate intracellular organelles or intracellular pathogens.
The complex role of autophagy in regulating many aspects of cell physiology and pathology is highlighted by the diversity of autophagic targets. As the autophagy is known to be a multistep process, targeting its single steps may influence the development of certain diseases.
However, understanding the involvement of autophagy in human pathogenesis is far from satisfactory. The question whether affecting the autophagic process will become essential therapeutic modality in selected diseases is still very controversial.