FBS Colloquia No.175Laboratory of Intracellular Membrane Dynamics

Essential role for autophagy in lifespan extension

Aging is the primary risk factor for several diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. If the lifespan and/or healthspan are prolonged, onset of these diseases can be delayed at same time. Thus researchers are now trying to reveal the molecular mechanism to regulate animal lifespan. Recent evidences suggest that an intracellular bulk degradation system, autophagy, is one of "convergent mechanism" of many longevity pathways. On the other hand, activity of autophagy is known to decrease with age. However, it is still unclear how autophagy is regulated during aging and if the activation of autophagy suffices to extend animal lifespan. In this FBS seminar, I will present current knowledge about roles of autophgy in lifespan regulation together with our recent research progress aiming to answer these questions.