Figure 2. Autophagy in the heart.

Autophagy is required for normal development of cardiac tissue and for cardiomyocyte terminal differentiation. Autophagy is also required for normal cardiac plasticity. Indeed, in the heart under normal conditions, autophagy plays a key role in regulating cardiomyocyte size as well as global cardiac structure and function. In the setting of disease, overactivation of autophagic flux can contribute to a transition to heart failure (HF).