Entity Detail — Knowledge Graph Node
This page aggregates everything SciDEX knows about AUTOPHAGY: its mechanistic relationships (Knowledge Graph edges), hypotheses targeting it, analyses mentioning it, and supporting scientific papers. The interactive graph below shows its immediate neighbors. All content is AI-synthesized from peer-reviewed literature.
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular degradation pathway that removes damaged organelles and misfolded proteins through lysosomal degradation. In neurodegeneration, autophagy dysfunction contributes to accumulation of toxic protein aggregates including amyloid-beta, tau, alpha-synuclein, and TDP-43. Key regulators include mTOR, AMPK, Beclin-1, and TFEB. Enhancing autophagy is a major therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
AI-generated illustration
Regenerate portrait ↻| Gene Symbol | AUTOPHAGY |
| Aliases | Autophagy-lysosomal pathway, Cellular self-eating |
| Function | Protein degradation; Organelle turnover; Quality control |
| Pathways | mTOR pathway, AMPK signaling, Beclin-1 complex |
| Autophagosome accumulation | Accumulation of immature autophagosomes suggests block in fusion with lysosomes |
| Amyloid interaction | Aβ peptides impair autophagic flux, creating a vicious cycle |
| Mitophagy defects | Reduced PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy leads to mitochondrial dysfunction |
| LRRK2 mutations | G2019S LRRK2 impairs autophagosome formation |
| PINK1/Parkin pathway | Loss-of-function mutations cause mitophagy failure |
| GBA mutations | Glucocerebrosidase deficiency impairs lysosomal function |
| Associated Diseases | Aging, Als, Alzheimer, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis |
| Known Drugs/Compounds | 3-Methyladenine, BEVACIZUMAB, BPA, COENZYME Q10, CURCUMIN, Cyclocreatine |
| Interactions | 6-OHDA, ABCA1, ABCD3, ABCG1, ABCG2, ACC |
| KG Connections | 7529 knowledge graph edges |
| Databases | GeneCardsUniProtNCBI GeneHPASTRING |
Knowledge base pages for this entity
graph TD
subgraph Pathology["Pathology"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| CANCER["CANCER"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| AGING["AGING"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| NEURON["NEURON"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| MICROGLIA["MICROGLIA"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| LYSOSOME["LYSOSOME"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"associated with"| MITOCHONDRIA["MITOCHONDRIA"]
end
subgraph Signaling["Signaling"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"regulates"| AGING_1["AGING"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -.->|"inhibits"| P62["P62"]
AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"] -->|"regulates"| CANCER_2["CANCER"]
MTORC1["MTORC1"] -.->|"inhibits"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
ULK1["ULK1"] -->|"regulates"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
AMPK["AMPK"] -->|"activates"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
SIRT1["SIRT1"] -->|"activates"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
ROS["ROS"] -->|"activates"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
P62_3["P62"] -->|"regulates"| AUTOPHAGY["AUTOPHAGY"]
end
style AUTOPHAGY fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:3px,color:#e0e0e0,font-weight:bold
style CANCER fill:#ef5350,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style AGING fill:#5d4400,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style AGING_1 fill:#5d4400,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style P62 fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style CANCER_2 fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style NEURON fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style MICROGLIA fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style LYSOSOME fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style MITOCHONDRIA fill:#4a1a6b,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style MTORC1 fill:#006494,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style ULK1 fill:#006494,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style AMPK fill:#006494,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style SIRT1 fill:#006494,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style ROS fill:#5d4400,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0
style P62_3 fill:#006494,stroke:#4fc3f7,stroke-width:1px,color:#e0e0e0| Target | Relation | Type | Str |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neurodegeneration | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Apoptosis | therapeutic_target | pathway | 1.00 |
| Inflammation | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Alzheimer | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Diabetes | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Cancer | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Inflammasome | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Apoptosis | inhibits | pathway | 1.00 |
| Tumor | inhibits | disease | 1.00 |
| Cancer | inhibits | disease | 1.00 |
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | associated_with | disease | 1.00 |
| Cancer | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Er Stress | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Cardiovascular | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Oxidative Stress | therapeutic_target | pathway | 1.00 |
| Aging | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Als | inhibits | disease | 1.00 |
| Epigenetic | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Mtor | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Neuroinflammation | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Inflammation | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Autophagy | inhibits | pathway | 1.00 |
| Toll-Like Receptor | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Autophagy | therapeutic_target | pathway | 1.00 |
| Oxidative Stress | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Autophagy | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Lipid Metabolism | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Obesity | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| Carcinoma | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Lysosomal Degradation | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Cardiovascular | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| P62 | inhibits | gene | 1.00 |
| Apoptosis | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| AGING | regulates | phenotype | 1.00 |
| CANCER | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| Als | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Epigenetic | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Mtor | therapeutic_target | pathway | 1.00 |
| Mtor | inhibits | pathway | 1.00 |
| Autophagy | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Als | activates | disease | 1.00 |
| INFLAMMATION | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| AMPK | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| Immune Response | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Mtor | activates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Innate Immunity | regulates | pathway | 1.00 |
| Diabetes | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| MTORC1 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| Inflammation | regulates | disease | 1.00 |
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | therapeutic_target | disease | 1.00 |
| Source | Relation | Type | Str |
|---|---|---|---|
| P62 | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| AMPK | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| AMPK | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| Als | inhibits | disease | 1.00 |
| AKT | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| PINK1 | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| AKT | regulates | protein | 1.00 |
| NLRP3 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| TNF | inhibits | gene | 1.00 |
| GENES | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| SQSTM1 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| ATG5 | inhibits | gene | 1.00 |
| MAP1LC3B | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| PARKIN | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| mTORC1 | inhibits | pathway | 1.00 |
| TLR4 | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| MTOR | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| MTOR | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| LC3 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| ROS | activates | phenotype | 1.00 |
| ULK1 | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| PINK1 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| AKT | inhibits | protein | 1.00 |
| OVERVIEW | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| ATG7 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| CGAS | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| AUTOPHAGY | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| STING | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| BECN1 | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| BECN1 | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| AMPK | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| p62 | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| ULK1 | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| MTOR | regulates | protein | 1.00 |
| ATG5 | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| LC3 | regulates | protein | 1.00 |
| PRKN | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| SQSTM1 | regulates | protein | 1.00 |
| AMPK | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| P62 | regulates | protein | 1.00 |
| SQSTM1 | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| ULK1 | interacts_with | gene | 1.00 |
| SIRT1 | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| TFEB | activates | protein | 1.00 |
| ATG | regulates | gene | 1.00 |
| MAP1LC3B | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| NEURODEGENERATION | associated_with | gene | 1.00 |
| BECN1 | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| PTEN | activates | gene | 1.00 |
| PI3K | therapeutic_target | gene | 1.00 |
Hypotheses where this entity is a therapeutic target
Scientific analyses that reference this entity
neurodegeneration | 2026-04-16 | 1 hypotheses Top: 0.666
neurodegeneration | 2026-04-09 | 0 hypotheses
neurodegeneration | 2026-04-03 | 7 hypotheses Top: 0.697
neurodegeneration | 2026-04-01 | 7 hypotheses Top: 0.639
Experimental studies targeting or related to this entity
| Experiment | Type | Disease | Score | Feasibility | Model | Status | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circadian gene expression effects of SD vs ketamine | exploratory | depression | 0.950 | 0.00 | C57BL/6J mice | proposed | N/A |
| iPSC-NPC effects on astrocytes in vitro ICH model | exploratory | intracerebral hemorrhage | 0.900 | 0.00 | in vitro ICH cell culture mode | completed | N/A |
| Autophagy receptor identification for stress granule elimination | exploratory | neurodegenerative diseases | 0.900 | 0.00 | cultured cells under arsenite | proposed | N/A |
| CLOCK/BMAL1 regulation of ICC autophagy in GERD model | exploratory | gastroesophageal reflux diseas | 0.900 | 0.00 | primary esophageal interstitia | proposed | N/A |
| AMPK knockdown validation experiment | exploratory | intracerebral hemorrhage | 0.880 | 0.00 | astrocyte cell culture | proposed | N/A |
| P2RY12-MTOR pathway interaction in VSMCs | exploratory | atherosclerosis | 0.850 | 0.00 | cultured VSMCs | proposed | N/A |
| iPSC-NPC transplantation in ICH animal model | validation | intracerebral hemorrhage | 0.850 | 0.00 | animal ICH model | proposed | N/A |
| Autophagy Enhancement Drug Screening for Neurodegeneration | clinical | Alzheimer's Disease | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $6,550,000 |
| Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Dysfunction in PD - Experiment Design | clinical | Parkinson's Disease | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $5,460,000 |
| Macroautophagy Dysfunction in PD - Experiment Design | clinical | Parkinson's Disease | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $5,460,000 |
| Validate Mitochondria-Lysosome Contact Site Dysfunction in PD | validation | Parkinson's Disease | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $2,730,000 |
| Mutant Huntingtin (mHTT) Clearance Mechanisms — Therapeutic Target Val | validation | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $3,000,000 |
| MLCS Quantification in Parkinson's Disease | validation | Parkinson's Disease | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $2,730,000 |
| Presymptomatic GRN Carrier Intervention Timing — Biomarker-Guided Ther | clinical | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $5,460,000 |
| TMEM106B Haplotype as Genetic Modifier in FTD — Mechanism and Therapeu | validation | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $2,730,000 |
| Proposed experiment from debate on Astrocytes adopt A1 (neurotoxic) an | falsification | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | cell_line | proposed | $80,000 |
| Proposed experiment from debate on Epigenetic clocks and biological ag | falsification | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | cell_line | proposed | $100,000 |
| Circadian-Vascular-Metabolic Syndrome (CVMS) Intervention Trial | clinical | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $3,900,000 |
| Experiment Index | validation | Neurodegeneration | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $2,280,000 |
| N-of-1 Clinical Trial Design for CBS/PSP | clinical | ALS | 0.400 | 0.50 | human | proposed | $5,460,000 |
Scientific publications cited in analyses involving this entity
| Title & PMID | Authors | Journal | Year | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatocyte FoxO1 Deficiency Protects From Liver Fibrosis via Reducing Inflammati [PMID:37678798] | Pan Q, Gao M, Kim D, Ai W, Yang W, Jiang | Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol | 2024 | 1 |
| Metabolic orchestration of cell death by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of RIPK1. [PMID:37384704] | Zhang T, Xu D, Trefts E, Lv M, Inuzuka H | Science | 2023 | 1 |
| Cinobufagin induces FOXO1-regulated apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and inv [PMID:35176466] | Zhang L, Liang B, Xu H, Gong Y, Hu W, Ji | J Ethnopharmacol | 2022 | 1 |
| Improved T-cell Receptor Diversity Estimates Associate with Survival and Respons [PMID:33177107] | Bortone DS, Woodcock MG, Parker JS, Vinc | Cancer Immunol Res | 2021 | 1 |
| Metformin Improves Mitochondrial Respiratory Activity through Activation of AMPK [PMID:31693892] | Wang Y, An H, Liu T, Qin C, Sesaki H, Gu | Cell Rep | 2019 | 1 |
| AMPK-Mediated BECN1 Phosphorylation Promotes Ferroptosis by Directly Blocking Sy [PMID:30057310] | Song X, Zhu S, Chen P, Hou W, Wen Q, Liu | Curr Biol | 2018 | 1 |
| Obestatin controls the ubiquitin-proteasome and autophagy-lysosome systems in gl [PMID:28675664] | Cid-Díaz T, Santos-Zas I, González-Sánch | J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle | 2017 | 1 |
| Spatiotemporal profile of postsynaptic interactomes integrates components of com [PMID:28671696] | Li J, Zhang W, Yang H, Howrigan DP, Wilk | Nat Neurosci | 2017 | 1 |
| Core Concept: The Internet of Things and the explosion of interconnectivity. [PMID:27702874] | Ornes S | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | 2016 | 1 |
| Precision Neurodegeneration: Integrating Molecular Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and T [PMID:41833042] | ["Lyu G", "Li D"] | CNS & neurological disorders d | 2026 | 0 |
| PTEN loss drives B7H3 upregulation via the mTORC2/FOXO/c-Myc axis to promote tum [PMID:41920736] | Wang Z, Jin N, Li X, Ma X, Feng Y, Yin K | Cell reports | 2026 | 0 |
| Epigenetics and the gut-brain axis: Insights into DNA methylation, aging, and Al [PMID:41886887] | Kumar V, Shukla R, Gangani S, Joseph R, | The Journal of pharmacology an | 2026 | 0 |
| Replating Induces mTOR-Dependent Rescue of Protein Synthesis in Charcot-Marie-To [PMID:41876253] | Koenig J, McGuire A, Homedan Y, Alberhas | eNeuro | 2026 | 0 |
| Effects of circadian rhythms on antimicrobial peptide concentrations in lactatin [PMID:41923233] | Liang ZL, Nii T, Sugino T, Isobe N | BMC veterinary research | 2026 | 0 |
| Circadian synchronization between diet and gut microbiota in modulating host's h [PMID:41914045] | ["Ma J", "Zhen Y", "Weng Y", "Lin J", "Z | Gut microbes | 2026 | 0 |
| S-equol promotes ferroptosis in triple negative breast cancer by coordinating NC [PMID:41925800] | Ni F, Huang Z, Cui Y, Huang P, Xue Z, Hu | Molecular and cellular biochem | 2026 | 0 |
| Randomized controlled trial of resistance exercise and brain aging clocks. [PMID:41665740] | ["Gonzalez-Gomez R", "Demnitz N", "Coron | GeroScience | 2026 | 0 |
| Mammalian lipophagy: process and function. [PMID:41681129] | Zhao R, Dai E, Kang R, Liu J, Klionsky D | Autophagy | 2026 | 0 |
| TAZ alleviates ischemic stroke injury by activating Foxo1: Usp1-mediated deubiqu [PMID:41921828] | ["Xin Y", "Sun Y", "Pan E", "Li M", "Che | Free radical biology & medicin | 2026 | 0 |
| Evaluation of Copathology and Clinical Trajectories in Individuals With Tau-Clin [PMID:41396614] | Brown CA, Mundada NS, Cousins KAQ, Sadeg | JAMA neurology | 2026 | 0 |
Multi-agent debates referencing this entity
closed · Rounds: 4 · Score: 0.85 · 2026-04-16
closed · Rounds: 4 · Score: 0.95 · 2026-04-10
closed · Rounds: 4 · Score: 0.95 · 2026-04-03
closed · Rounds: 4 · Score: 0.95 · 2026-04-01
Hypotheses and analyses mentioning AUTOPHAGY in their description or question text
Score: 0.784 · Alzheimer's disease · 2026-04-05
## Mechanistic Overview Closed-loop tACS targeting entorhinal cortex layer II SST interneurons to activate AMPK-autophag
Score: 0.772 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview TBK1-OPTN-NDP52 Phospho-Cascade Coordinates Multi-Organelle Autophagy starts from the claim that
Score: 0.763 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-02
## Mechanistic Overview Circadian Clock-Autophagy Synchronization starts from the claim that modulating CLOCK within the
Score: 0.737 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-22
**Molecular Mechanism and Rationale** The central molecular mechanism underlying this hypothesis involves the intricate
Score: 0.720 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview VCP/p97 ATPase mutations impair extraction of ubiquitinated autophagy substrates, causing protea
Score: 0.717 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-22
## **Molecular Mechanism and Rationale** The hexanucleotide repeat expansion (GGGGCC) in the C9orf72 gene represents th
Score: 0.710 · molecular biology · 2026-04-21
**Molecular Mechanism and Rationale** The p21^Cip1 protein, encoded by the CDKN1A gene, functions as a critical molecul
Score: 0.706 · neuroinflammation · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview Autophagy-Lysosomal Degradation of IBA1 in Stressed Microglia starts from the claim that modulat
Score: 0.697 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-04
## Mechanistic Overview TFEB-Independent Autophagy Bypass starts from the claim that modulating ULK1 within the disease
Score: 0.685 · molecular biology · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview mTORC1 Reactivation as Autophagy-Senescence Divergence Point Marker starts from the claim that m
Score: 0.678 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-26
TDP-43 aggregates sequester hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (HGS), a critical hub coordinat
Score: 0.653 · molecular biology · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview GDF15-GFRAL Axis as Systemic Autophagy-Senescence Integrator starts from the claim that modulati
Score: 0.652 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-25
Autophagosomes still form after irradiation, but damaged lysosomes cannot clear cargo, sustaining ROS and SASP output.
Score: 0.649 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-21
## Mechanistic Overview p62 Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Nucleates Cross-Organelle Cargo for Coordinated Autophagy sta
Score: 0.640 · neurodegeneration · 2026-04-22
**Molecular Mechanism and Rationale** The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) serves as a critical cellu