Episode 6: The Role of Autophagy in Maintaining Cellular Health
Welcome to episode six of our series on DNA and the cellular mechanisms that ensure optimal cell survival and function. After exploring the complexity of epigenetics in the previous episode, today we turn our attention to another process essential to cellular health: autophagy. This intracellular mechanism degrades and recovers damaged or useless cellular components. Let's discover how autophagy contributes to maintaining cellular balance and efficiency.

What Is Autophagy?
Autophagy, which means "self-eating," is a vital breakdown and reuse of substances in catabolic process cell components, such as old proteins and defective organelles. This function is crucial for the removal of cellular waste, the response to stress, and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Autophagy is vital in safeguarding against neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and infections.

The Autophagy Process