In addition to proteins, the Morrison lab studies the regulation of autophagy by? The Regulation of Autophagy by Non-Protein Factors: A Focus from the Morrison Lab

Morrison Lab: The regulation of autophagy using non-protein factors.

Autophagy plays an important role in the cell’s ability to recycle and degrade unwanted proteins and organelles. Morrison’s lab has been studying the mechanisms of regulation of autophagy using non-protein proteins. The Morrison Lab conducted a 2016 study that identified the mitochondrial unfolded proteins response (UPRmt), as an important regulator of autophagy. (Morrison and al., 2016,). UPRmt activates in response to damage or stress in mitochondria and promotes autophagy through the promotion of autophagy-related gene expression. Inflammatory cytokines play a role in regulation of autophagy, according to the Morrison Lab. A 2018 research by the Morrison Lab showed that TNF– the pro-inflammatory mediator, was able to modulate autophagy in a cell-type dependent manner. The cytokine TNF-? could be used to modulate autophagy depending on the cell type (Morrison and al., 2018,). It was shown that the cytokine induces autophagy and inhibits autophagy for some types of cells. UPRmt, inflammatory and cytokines were not the only factors that controlled autophagy. The Morrison Lab also examined other non-protein factors. This includes small molecules like cannabinoids and fatty acids (Morrison, et al. 2019,). Cont…..