Autophagy in stem cells: repair, remodelling and metabolic reprogramming

14 p.-6 fig.Autophagy is a catabolic pathway by which cellular components are delivered to the lysosome for degradation and recycling. Autophagy serves as a crucial intracellular quality control and repair mechanism but is also involved in cell remodelling during development and cell differentiation. In addition, mitophagy, the process by which damaged mitochondria undergo autophagy, has emerged as key regulator of cell metabolism. In recent years, a number of studies have revealed roles for autophagy and mitophagy in the regulation of stem cells, which represent the origin for all tissues during embryonic and postnatal development, and contribute to tissue homeostasis and repair throughout adult life. Here, we review these studies, focussing on the latest evidence that supports the quality control, remodelling and metabolic functions of autophagy during the activation, self-renewal and differentiation of embryonic, adult and cancer stem cells.P.B. is supported by Spain's Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [BFU2015-65623 (FEDER funding) and BFU2015-71869-REDT], European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Transautophagy (CA15138) and the European Union Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN-ETN) under grant agreement 765912. N.R.-M. is supported by a grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA376743) and a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship from Spain's Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. P.C. is supported by funding from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité and grants from the Institut National Du Cancer (INCa) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR).Peer reviewe