The DOI matches its Crossref record; 168 of the 169 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Autophagy and Microglia: Novel Partners in Neurodegeneration and Aging
Open accessAbstract
Autophagy is emerging as a core regulator of Central Nervous System (CNS) aging and neurodegeneration. In the brain, it has mostly been studied in neurons, where the delivery of toxic molecules and organelles to the lysosome by autophagy is crucial for neuronal health and survival. However, we propose that the (dys)regulation of autophagy in microglia also affects innate immune functions such as phagocytosis and inflammation, which in turn contribute to the pathophysiology of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we first describe the basic concepts of autophagy and its regulation, discuss key aspects for its accurate monitoring at the experimental level, and summarize the evidence linking autophagy impairment to CNS senescence and disease. We focus on acute, chronic, and autoimmunity-mediated neurodegeneration, including ischemia/stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, and multiple sclerosis. Next, we describe the actual and potential impact of autophagy on microglial phagocytic and inflammatory function. Thus, we provide evidence of how autophagy may affect microglial phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, amyloid-β, synaptic material, and myelin debris, and regulate the progression of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. We also discuss data linking autophagy to the regulation of the microglial inflammatory phenotype, which is known to contribute to age-related brain dysfunction. Overall, we update the current knowledge of autophagy and microglia, and highlight as yet unexplored mechanisms whereby autophagy in microglia may contribute to CNS disease and senescence.
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“Autophagy and phagocytosis share key morphological and mechanistic features [428].”
From Autophagy and ALS: mechanistic insights and therapeutic implications (2022) · cites this paper as [428]
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“For instance, both pathways rely on vesicular structures to deliver contents to lysosomes for degradation.”
From Autophagy and ALS: mechanistic insights and therapeutic implications (2022) · cites this paper as [428]
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“Microglia actively clear apoptotic cells, myelin and synaptic debris, axonal fragments and protein deposits from the CNS through phagocytosis [428–430].”
From Autophagy and ALS: mechanistic insights and therapeutic implications (2022) · cites this paper as [428]
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2 retracted
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1 of the 169 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Plaza-Zabala, A., Sierra-Torre, V., & Sierra, A.
- Affiliations
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, 48170 Zamudio, Spain
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Sierra, Amanda
- ORCID
- Sierra, Amanda
- Venue
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2017-03-09
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 598
- ISSN
- 1422-0067 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5372614
- OpenAlex
- W2594094135
- Cited by
- 323
- References
- 169
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 8
- FWCI
- 4.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BFU2015-66689, RYC-2013-12817)
- BBVA Foundation Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators
- Basque Government (PI_2016_1_0011)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Keywords
- autophagy, microglia, neurodegeneration, brain aging, microglial phagocytosis, neuroinflammation, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, amyloid-beta clearance, myelin debris, autophagy regulation, autophagy monitoring
- MeSH terms
- Aging, Animals, Autophagy, Central Nervous System, Humans, Microglia, Neurodegenerative Diseases
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