Selective Autophagy as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Age-Associated Pathologies

Progressive accumulation of damaged cellular constituents contributes to age-related diseases. Autophagy is the main catabolic process, which recycles cellular material in a multitude of tissues and organs. Autophagy is activated upon nutrient deprivation, and oncogenic, heat or oxidative stress-induced stimuli to selectively degrade cell constituents and compartments. Specificity and accuracy of the autophagic process is maintained via the precision of interaction of autophagy receptors or adaptors and substrates by the intricate, stepwise orchestration of specialized integrating stimuli. Polymorphisms in genes regulating selective autophagy have been linked to aging and age-associated disorders. The involvement of autophagy perturbations in aging and disease indicates that pharmacological agents balancing autophagic flux may be beneficial, in these contexts. Here, we introduce the modes and mechanisms of selective autophagy, and survey recent experimental evidence of dysfunctional autophagy triggering severe pathology. We further highlight identified pharmacological targets that hold potential for developing therapeutic interventions to alleviate cellular autophagic cargo burden and associated pathologies.