NIPSNAP1 and NIPSNAP2 act as "eat me" signals to allow sustained recruitment of autophagy receptors during mitophagy.

Removal of damaged mitochondria is vital for cellular homeostasis especially in non-dividing cells, like neurons. Damaged mitochondria that cannot be repaired by the ubiquitin-proteasomal system are cleared by a form of selective autophagy known as mitophagy. Following damage, mitochondria become labelled with 'eat-me' signals that selectively determine their degradation.

NIPSNAP1 and NIPSNAP2 Act as "Eat Me" Signals for Mitophagy.

The clearance of damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria by selective autophagy (mitophagy) is important for cellular homeostasis and prevention of disease. Our understanding of the mitochondrial signals that trigger their recognition and targeting by mitophagy is limited. Here, we show that the mitochondrial matrix proteins 4-Nitrophenylphosphatase domain and non-neuronal SNAP25-like protein homolog 1 (NIPSNAP1) and NIPSNAP2 accumulate on the mitochondria surface upon mitochondrial depolarization.

Studying Autophagy in Zebrafish.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process which allows lysosomal degradation of complex cytoplasmic components into basic biomolecules that are recycled for further cellular use. Autophagy is critical for cellular homeostasis and for degradation of misfolded proteins and damaged organelles as well as intracellular pathogens. The role of autophagy in protection against age-related diseases and a plethora of other diseases is now coming to light; assisted by several divergent eukaryotic model systems ranging from yeast to mice.

Genome-wide association study for type 2 diabetes in Indians identifies a new susceptibility locus at 2q21.

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes-associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.