Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process that plays an important role in cellular homeostasis. The study of the interplay between autophagy and zinc has gained interest over the last years. Multiple studies have indicated that zinc stimulates autophagy and is critical for basal and induced autophagy in mammalian cells. Conversely, autophagy is induced by zinc starvation in yeast. There are no studies analyzing the role of zinc in either Microautophagy or Chaperone-Mediated-Autophagy. The mechanisms by which zinc modulates autophagy are still poorly understood. Studies examining loss of function of genes involved in cellular zinc homeostasis have provided novel insights into the role of zinc in autophagy. Autophagy may help cells adapt to changes in zinc availability in medium by controlling zinc mobilization, recycling, and secretion. Zinc is a key player in toxic and protective autophagy.

自噬是一种保守的分解代谢过程，在细胞稳态中起着重要作用。自噬和锌之间相互作用的研究在过去几年引起了人们的兴趣。多项研究表明，锌刺激自噬，对哺乳动物细胞的基础自噬和诱导自噬至关重要。相反，自噬是由酵母中的锌饥饿诱导的。没有研究分析锌在微自噬或伴侣介导的自噬中的作用。锌调节自噬的机制仍然知之甚少。检查参与细胞锌稳态的基因功能丧失的研究为锌在自噬中的作用提供了新的见解。自噬可以通过控制锌的动员、回收和分泌来帮助细胞适应培养基中锌可用性的变化。