Submitted by Sandhya Sanduja (Gupta Lab) and Nicki Watson (W.M. Keck Microscopy Facility) at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
When cells are starved for nutrients, they start a ‘self-eating’ process called autophagy. As autophagy begins, a cell engulfs and degrades its own components in ‘double-membraned’ compartments or autophagosomes. This provides an internal supply of nutrients and helps cells to survive during starvation. I am studying how autophagy helps cancer cells survive during stress.