Lysosome expert receives Heisenberg Professorship - UA Ruhr Appointment: Dominic Winter

A recycling mechanism that helps cells fight aging

An international team led by EPFL has discovered a powerful anti-aging pathway in roundworms, revealing how boosting the cell’s lysosomes can help clear waste and promote healthy aging. The findings open new directions for therapies against age-related diseases.

Optogenetic manipulation of lysosomal physiology and autophagy-dependent clearance of amyloid beta

Lysosomes are cellular degradation centers, critical for maintaining homeostasis. Selective modulation of lysosomal activity has remained a challenge to date; this study reports the development of lysosome-targeted optogenetic tools for the light-inducible manipulation of lysosomal physiology in cells and in C. elegans.

New study details how starving cells hijack protein transport stations

A new study details how nutrient-starved cells divert protein transport stations to cellular recycling centers to be broken down, highlighting a novel approach cells use to deal with stressful conditions.

New signaling pathway decoded in the decomposition of damaged lysosomes

Lysosomes are surrounded by a lipid bilayer that separates the acidic environment and the digestive enzymes of the organelle from the cytoplasm. Damage to this layer—lysosomal membrane permeabilization, or LMP for short—can trigger inflammation and even lead to cell death.

Chemists discover a key protein in how lysosomes work

Lysosomes, often reductively referred to as the "garbage disposals" of cells, play a pivotal role in our cells' digestive systems by getting rid of unwanted materials.

'Very concerning': Microplastics can accumulate in cancer cells and may help them spread, study hints

An early lab-dish study in cancer cells suggests microplastics can persist through cell division and may contribute to cancer spread, when they're in tumors.

Regulating LRRK2

A newly discovered Rab12-dependent mechanism helps to recruit and increase the activity of an enzyme involved in Parkinson’s disease at the membrane of lysosomes.

New study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid recycling within cells

Recycling is just as essential in cells as in our more familiar macroscopic world. Cells continuously generate waste products and accumulate damaged components while performing regular functions. Various recycling mechanisms have evolved to ensure efficient use of these resources and help maintain homeostasis, with autophagy being one of the most well-preserved among countless animal, plant, and fungal lineages.