The lipid kinase PIK3C3 (also called Vps34) regulates both the endosomal and autophagic pathways. However, the effect of inactivating PIK3C3 on neuronal endosomal versus autophagic processes in vivo has not been studied. We generated mice in which Pik3c3 was conditionally deleted in differentiated sensory neurons. Within a few days after Pik3c3 deletion, mutant large-diameter myelinated neurons...

MicroRNA-375 is involved in many types of alimentary system cancers. Our previous studies showed that microRNA-375 was significantly down-regulated in carcinoma tissues compared with para-carcinoma tissues, which strongly indicates that microRNA-375 might suppress the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer. However, the mechanism underlying the microRNA-375 regulation in colorectal can...

We compared the expression levels of 307 miRNAs in six different B16F1 melanoma cell lines of differing malignant properties and found that the miR-290-295 cluster showed a strong upregulation in the more malignant B16F1 daughter cell lines. Its overexpression in B16F1 cells had no major effects on cell proliferation, migration or anchorage-independent growth, but conferred resistance to glucos...

We found that restoration of miR-100 expression resulted in accumulation of LC3B-II and decrease of p62 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, whereas antagonism of miR-100 reduced the level of LC3B-II. Moreover, a significant correlation between miR-100 downregulation and p62 upregulation was observed in human HCC tissues, suggesting an autophagy-promoting effect of miR-100. Subsequent inves...

Autophagy favours metastatic growth through fuelling energy and nutrients and resistance to anoikis, typical of disseminated-tumour cells. The autophagic process, mediated by a unique organelle, the autophagosome, which fuses with lysosomes, is divided into three steps. Several stages, especially early omegasome formation and isolation-membrane initiation, remain controversial; molecular mechan...

The relative balance between the quantity of white and brown adipose tissue can profoundly affect lipid storage and whole-body energy homeostasis. However, the mechanisms regulating the formation, expansion, and interconversion of these 2 distinct types of fat remain unknown. Recently, the lysosomal degradative pathway of macroautophagy has been identified as a regulator of cellular differentia...

Autophagy maintains cell function and homeostasis by recycling intracellular components. This process is also required for morphological changes associated with maturation of some cell types. Osteoblasts are bone forming cells some of which become embedded in bone and differentiate into osteocytes. This transformation includes development of long cellular projections and a reduction in endoplas...