BBSRC TPS: Autophagy and age-dependent regenerative potential of stem cells

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Autophagy is a natural process which allows cells to cope with stressful conditions such as starvation. During this process, the cell partially digests certain organelles and proteins to provide nutrients that drive the essential process of central metabolism. This process is a tightly controlled pathway that may lead to apoptosis (programmed cell death) if conditions do not improve. Preliminary studies in this and other laboratories have demonstrated that various amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) added to starving cells have the ability to stop the cells from initiating the autophagic process. Although the order in which different amino acids are able to inhibit autophagy varies across the literature, it is well established that leucine is the most potent. Despite much progress in this field, the exact mechanism by which these amino acids prevent autophagy induction still remains elusive. We aim to identify and characterise a protein candidate involved in sensing amino acids in the cellular environment.

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