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Cellular degradation process called autophagy often deployed in stress responses is involved in wound healing

13 April 2022

Bite Wound

To re-build, life must first clean away. Here, a fruit fly (Drosophila) embryo heals damage to one of its cells. The debris is eaten away by a recycling process known as autophagy, but the careful destruction doesn’t stop there. Researchers find structures called autophagosomes (orange) help to bite holes in the membranes of surrounding cells (green), which then join to form a syncytium – a sort of collaborate cell which plugs the gap in the tissue. Autophagy, and proteins involved such as TORC-1, may use syncytia to form stronger protective membranes around the sites of healing wounds. There are similar cells in developing muscles, and with increasing frequency as we age. With the partnership between clearing away and building in their minds, the team are now looking at how autophagy helps to renew and refresh membranes at different stages of life.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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