Cellular quality control systems have gained much attention in recent decades. Among these, autophagy is a natural self-preservation mechanism that continuously eliminates toxic cellular components and acts as an anti-ageing process. It is vital for cell survival and to preserve homeostasis. Several cell-type-dependent canonical or non-canonical autophagy pathways have been reported showing varying degrees of selectivity with regard to the substrates targeted. Here, we provide an updated review of the autophagy machinery and discuss the role of various forms of autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Parkinson's disease. We describe recent findings that have led to the proposal of therapeutic strategies targeting autophagy to alter the course of Parkinson's disease progression.
Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; autoimmunity; autophagy; lysosomes; neurodegenerative disease.