Semiconductor nanocrystals in autophagy research: methodology improvement at nanosized scale.

Our recent findings establish a functional link between foreign nanosized bodies and autophagy. We find that nanoparticles (NP) within a certain size range act as potent autophagy activators, and that autophagic flux is an underlying physiological process of the cellular clearance of the NP. Therefore, NP may be used to study and to monitor autophagy. We provide a detailed description of laboratory protocols designed for studying NP-mediated autophagy. In addition, we review available methods of nanotechnology, which may benefit autophagy research.