Autophagy and circadian rhythms: interactions and clinical implications

Autophagy is a widespread biological process that controls cellular growth, survival, development, and death. Circadian rhythm is a recurring reaction of living organisms and behaviors to variations in surrounding brightness and obscurity. Most of the fundamental physiological processes in mammals, such as the sleep-wake pattern and the rhythm of nutrition and energy metabolism, are governed by circadian rhythms. Research has indicated that autophagy exhibits a specific circadian pattern in both normal and abnormal conditions. Autophagy can modulate circadian rhythms by breaking down proteins that regulate the circadian clock. The potential regulatory connection between the two has been a popular subject of clinical and fundamental research. Understanding the interaction between circadian rhythm and autophagy could potentially lead to the development of novel approaches for disease treatment in the future. The present analysis presented a summary of the molecular processes implicated in the interplay between autophagy and circadian rhythm, as well as the pathological importance of the disrupted regulatory association between these two phenomena.