Integrating bioengineering, super-resolution microscopy and mechanobiology in autophagy research: addendum to the guidelines (4th edition)

ABSTRACT

Recent key technological developments, such as super-resolution microscopy and microfabrication, enabled investigation of biological processes, including macroautophagy/autophagy, with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution and control over experimental conditions. Such disruptive innovations deepened our capability to provide mechanistic understandings of the autophagic process and its causes. This addendum aims to expand the guidelines on autophagy in three key directions: optical methods enabling visualization of autophagic machinery beyond the diffraction-limited resolution; bioengineering enabling accurate designs and control over experimental conditions; and theoretical advances in mechanobiology connecting autophagy and mechanical processes of the cell. Abbreviation: 3D: three-dimensional; SIM: structured illumination microscopy; STORM: stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy.

KEYWORDS:

• Bioengineering
• interdisciplinarity
• mechanoautophagy
• microfabrication
• microfluidics
• super-resolution microscopy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the following funding support from the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, (grants ANID PIA ACT192015, ANID FONDECYT 1210872; ANID-EQM210020 & EQM210101), Pontificia Universidad DCatolica de Chile (PUC-VRI-Puente-2022-13 and PUC-VRI-Puente-2024-3) and National Institutes of Health (NIH grant GM131919).