What this means
This paper is a review that looks at two cell cleanup processes, mitophagy and nucleophagy. It describes how they may relate to aging and brain diseases. It does not show that either process causes or cures any disease.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- A review of earlier studies, not a new experiment
- Kind of research
- A summary of earlier studies
The science
- Original title
- Selective autophagy pathways in ageing and neurodegeneration: Emerging roles for mitophagy and nucleophagy.
- Authors
- Markaki M, Tavernarakis N
- Journal
- The FEBS journal
- Published
- Oct 13, 2026
- Study type
- Review
- PMID
- 42868283 ↗
Abstract
Ageing is characterized by the progressive accumulation of molecular and cellular damage, driven by both genetic and nongenetic factors and ultimately leading to functional decline and an increased risk of disease. Convergent evidence indicates that many of the mechanisms influencing ageing are intimately related to the ability of the organism to cope with intrinsic and extrinsic stress. Key determinants of this capacity are the molecular pathways that coordinate stress responses throughout life. Among these, general and cargo-specific autophagy have emerged as integral components of cellular and systemic adaptation to stress. Here, we focus on mitophagy, a selective form of autophagy targeting mitochondria, and nucleophagy, the selective autophagic recycling of nuclear material. These processes help safeguard the integrity of two organelles that are central to long-term cellular survival and function. Such homeostatic mechanisms are vital in long-lived neurons, where they mediate damage removal during ageing to protect against neurodegeneration. We further discuss how perturbations in these autophagic pathways may contribute to ageing and neurodegenerative disorders. Finally, we outline key open questions and future challenges in the field, including the largely unexplored possibility of functional connections between mitophagy and nucleophagy, which we identify as an important direction for future research.
Markaki M, Tavernarakis N Selective autophagy pathways in ageing and neurodegeneration: Emerging roles for mitophagy and nucleophagy. The FEBS journal. 2026. doi:10.1111/febs.70738. PMID: 42868283. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42868283/