Assessing Mitochondrial Selective Autophagy in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Eukaryotic cells heavily depend on ATP generated by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) within mitochondria. Besides being the main suppliers of cell's energy, mitochondria also provide an additional compartment for a wide range of cellular processes and metabolic pathways. Mitochondria constantly undergo fusion/fission events and form a mitochondrial network, which is a highly dynamic, tubular structure allowing for rapid and continuous exchange of genetic material, as well as, targeting dysfunctional mitochondria for degradation through mitochondrial selective autophagy (mitophagy). Mitophagy mediates the elimination of damaged and/or superfluous organelles, maintaining mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis. In this chapter, we present two versatile, noninvasive methods, developed for monitoring in vivo mitophagy in C. elegans. These procedures enable the assessment of mitophagy in several cell types during development or under stress conditions. Investigating the role of mitophagy at the organismal level is essential for the development of therapeutic interventions against age-related diseases.
['Palikaras|Konstantinos|K|', 'Tavernarakis|Nektarios|N|']
D000818:Animals D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified D000071182:Autophagosomes D001681:Biological Assay D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical D015870:Gene Expression D017930:Genes, Reporter D018869:Heat-Shock Response D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted D008247:Lysosomes D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence D008928:Mitochondria D063306:Mitophagy D057054:Molecular Imaging D018384:Oxidative Stress
Autophagy Caenorhabditis elegans Mitochondria Mitophagy Ageing Autophagosome DsRed Fluorescent microscopy Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) Lysosomes mtRosella