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Professor Daniel J. Klionsky has been quoted in The New York Times

Professor Daniel J. Klionsky has been quoted in The New York Times for his paper in Trends in Cell Biology on autophagy!

Autophagy ("eating oneself") evolved in our ancestors over two billion years ago. Today, all animals rely on it to endure famines, as do plants, fungi and single-cell protozoa.

Our cells are perpetually devouring themselves, shredding their own complex molecules to pieces and recycling them for new parts. Many of the details of our endless self-destruction have come to light only in the past few years. And to the surprise of many scientists, links are now emerging between this inner cannibalism and diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

You still rely on autophagy to keep the molecules in your cells in good working order. Cells make a lot of defective molecules. They misread genes, for example, and misfold proteins. Even a perfectly crafted molecule does not stay perfect for long. "Proteins go bad with time," Dr. Klionsky said. "They age, and they wear out."


Read the full article at The New York Times.