Autophagy: An evolutionarily conserved process in the maintenance of stem cells and aging

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that degrades and recycles defective organelles, toxic proteins, and various other aggregates on the cytoplasmic surface by sequestering them into autophagosomes which, then, fuse with lysosomes which degrade them. If these aggregates are not cleared, they accumulate and damage the cell resulting in cellular senescence and aging. Stem cells, with their capacity to differentiate, are crucial for tissue homeostasis. In addition to differentiation, the stemness of stem cells must be preserved. Recent studies in stem cells show the importance of autophagy in evading cellular senescence. In this review, we describe the conservative nature of the autophagy process, carried out throughout evolution. In particular, we highlight the role of autophagy in various evolutionarily diverse species and how it evolved to maintain tissue homeostasis and regulate aging and cellular senescence in stem cells.