Survival by self-destruction: a role for autophagy in the placenta?

I Bildirici, MS Longtine, B Chen, DM Nelson - Placenta, 2012 - Elsevier
Autophagy is a burgeoning area of research from yeast to humans. Although previously
described as a death pathway, autophagy is now considered an important survival
phenomenon in response to environmental stressors to which most organs are exposed.
Despite an ever expanding literature in non-placental cells, studies of autophagy in the
placenta are lagging. We review the regulation of autophagy, summarize available placental
studies of autophagy, and highlight potential areas for future research. We believe that such …