![Probing Autophagy]()
Cells use several kinds of autophagy—a process for breaking down and recycling proteins and other cellular components. Defects in autophagy can lead to liver and kidney diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s. One type of autophagy, called endosomal microautophagy (eMI), has been characterized in mammalian cell culture, but lacked a genetic system in an easily managed model organism. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded Andreas Jenny, Ph.D., a four-year, $1.8 million grant that his group will use to characterize eMI in fruit flies. Dr. Jenny and colleagues previously established a system in fruit flies for monitoring eMI and the proteins that it selectively degrades. They plan to use their system to identify components that regulate eMI in fruit flies. Dr. Jenny is associate professor of developmental and molecular biology and of genetics. (1R01GM119160-01A1)
Posted on: Wednesday, February 22, 2017