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Autophagy constitutes a prominent mechanism through which eukaryotic cells preserve homeostasis in baseline conditions and in response to perturbations of the intracellular or extracellular microenvironment. Autophagic responses can be relatively non-selective or target a specific subcellular compartment. At least in part, this depends on the balance between the availability of autophagic substrates (“offer”) and the cellular need of autophagic products or functions for adaptation (“demand”). Irrespective of cargo specificity, adaptive autophagy relies on a panel of sensors that detect potentially dangerous cues and convert them into signals that are ultimately relayed to the autophagic machinery. Here, we summarize the molecular systems through which specific subcellular compartments—including the nucleus, mitochondria, plasma membrane, reticular apparatus, and cytosol—convert homeostatic perturbations into an increased offer of autophagic substrates or an accrued cellular demand for autophagic products or functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this issue of Molecular Cell , Park et al. (2016) elegantly demonstrate that a partial defect in autophagy supports malignant transformation as it favors the production of genotoxic reactive oxygen species by mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both embryonic and adult stem cells are endowed with a superior capacity to prevent the accumulation of genetic lesions, repair them, or avoid their propagation to daughter cells, which would be particularly detrimental to the whole organism. Inducible pluripotent stem cells also display a robust DNA damage response, but the stability of their genome is often conditioned by the mutational history of the cell population of origin, which constitutes an obstacle to clinical applications. Cancer stem cells are particularly tolerant to DNA damage and fail to undergo senescence or regulated cell death upon accumulation of genetic lesions. Such a resistance contributes to the genetic drift of evolving tumors as well as to their limited sensitivity to chemo- and radiotherapy. Here, we discuss the pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of the molecular pathways through which stem cells cope with DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]