Autophagy and Cell Death in the Fly

Macroautophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) is a lysosome-dependent catabolic process that results in the degradation and recycling of cellular components, such as lipids, proteins, and organelles. Autophagy can function in many cellular contexts, including during infection, stress, cell survival, and cell death. During the development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, multiple tissues undergo a programmed cell death in which autophagy plays a key role in their destruction. Here, we describe how to analyze autophagy and its relationship to cell death in Drosophila.