Autophagy and phagocytosis are distinct yet partially morphologically similar processes. In Autophagosome and Phagosome, authoritative scientists present easy-to-follow methods on autophagy, a rapidly growing field with a need for standards of assessment, and phagocytosis, a relatively mature field which could benefit greatly from updated methods, in order to prompt further explorations of their similarities and differences. The methods on autophagy allow the reader to find appropriate techniques to identify, monitor, and quantify autophagic processes, while the methods devoted to...

Autophagy is a fundamental biological process that enables cells to autodigest their own cytosol during starvation and other forms of stress. It has a growing spectrum of acknowledged roles in immunity, aging, development, neurodegeneration, and cancer biology. An immunological role of autophagy was first recognized with the discovery of autophagy's ability to sanitize the cellular interior by killing intracellular microbes. Since then, the repertoire of autophagy's roles in immunity has been vastly expanded to include a diverse but interconnected portfolio of regulatory and effector...