Prof. Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen, University of Turku

Host: Jyrki Heino (jyheino@utu.fi)

Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen is a Professor in medical cell biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku (since November 2017)

Autophgy is a lysosomal recycling pathway for cytoplasmic material and organelles, which maintains cellular homeostasis. Eskelinen group investigates membrane dynamics during autophagy in mammalian cells. In order to clarify the elusive process of autophagosome formation, they have used three-dimensional electron microscopy to demonstrate connections between nascent autophagosomes and other membrane-bound organelles. The group has also studied the roles of small GTPases in autophagy, and reported that RAB24 plays a role in autolysosomes, the last intermediate on the autophagy pathway.

Selected publications

Eskelinen E-L: Autophagy: supporting cellular and organismal homeostasis by self-eating. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2019, 111:1-10. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2019.03.010

Boland B, Yu WH, Corti O, Mollereau B, Henriques A, Bezard E, Pastores GM, Rubinsztein DC, Nixon RA, Duchen MR, Mallucci GR, Kroemer G, Levine B, Eskelinen E-L, Mochel F, Spedding M, Louis C, Martin OR, Millan MJ: Promoting the clearance of neurotoxic proteins in neurodegenerative disorders of aging. Nat Rev Drug Disc 2018, 17:660-688. DOI:10.1038/nrd.2018.109

Syrjä P, Anwar T, Jokinen TS, Kyöstilä K, Hultin-Jäderlund K, Cozzi F, Rohdin C, Hahn K, Wohlsein P, Baumgärtner W, Henke D, Oevermann A, Sukura A, Leeb T, Lohi H, Eskelinen E-L: Basal Autophagy is altered in Lagotto Romagnolo Dogs with an ATG4D mutation. Veterinary Pathology 2017, 54:953-963. DOI: 10.1177/0300985817712793

Ylä-Anttila P, Mikkonen E, Happonen KE, Holland P, Ueno T, Simonsen A, Eskelinen E-L: RAB24 facilitates clearance of autophagic compartments during basal conditions. Autophagy 2015, 11:1833-48. DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1086522

Biazik J, Ylä-Anttila P, Vihinen H, Jokitalo E and Eskelinen E-L: Ultrastructural relationship of the phagophore with surrounding organelles. Autophagy 2015, 11:439-451. DOI:10.1080/15548627.2015.1017178