Chaperone-mediated autophagy in physiological homeostasis, disease and ageing.

CMA regulates a broad range of physiological functions and its dysfunction in ageing and disease causes cellular changes beyond damaged protein accumulation.

• Why it matters: Understanding CMA's roles is crucial because its impairment is linked to ageing and age-related diseases, yet the full scope of its physiological impact remains unclear.
• What they did: The review discusses recent discoveries of CMA molecular components, in vivo modulation studies, and identification of organ-specific subproteomes degraded by CMA, highlighting its diverse functions.
• The result: Findings suggest that targeting CMA could offer therapeutic strategies for age-related diseases, as CMA influences cellular health by degrading both damaged and functional proteins.