Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41418785›Full record

ArticleStem cell reports2026

Autophagy is required for the development and functionality of lacrimal gland-like organoids.

Gamze Kocak, Miriam E Korsgen, Leticia F Amores, Congxin Sun, Merve Ceylan, Asmaa Ghazwani, Merve Kandirici, Malgorzata Zatyka, Elena Seranova, Animesh Acharjee and 5 more

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Gamze KocakDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Türkiye; Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Türkiye. Electronic address: g.kocak@bham.ac.uk.
Miriam E KorsgenDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Leticia F AmoresDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Congxin SunDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Merve CeylanDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Asmaa GhazwaniDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Merve KandiriciGenetic Diagnosis Center, SZAOMICS, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Malgorzata ZatykaDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Elena SeranovaNMN Bio Ltd., Walker House, Liverpool, UK.
Animesh AcharjeeDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre for Health Data Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Institute of Translational Medicine, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Timothy BarrettDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Department of Endocrinology, Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, UK.
Bayram YukselGenetic Diagnosis Center, SZAOMICS, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Adil MardinogluScience for Life Laboratory, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
Sinan GüvenIzmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Türkiye; Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Izmir, Türkiye; Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Türkiye.
Sovan SarkarDepartment of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: s.sarkar@bham.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Lacrimal glands (LGs) serve as pivotal exocrine glands crucial for protecting the ocular surface. Dysfunction in LG cell composition or secretion is implicated in dry eye disease (DED). While autophagy plays a vital role in tissue homeostasis in many organs, how it affects LG development and secretory function is not known. Here, we have undertaken a genetic study by utilizing autophagy-deficient human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and differentiating them into LG-like organoids. Autophagy-deficient LG-like organoids exhibited improper development and secretion, along with increased protein aggregation, proliferation, and cell death. These phenotypes were associated with an accumulation of PAX6, a transcription factor crucial for brain and eye development, which we identified as an autophagy substrate. Pharmacological interventions with nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and melatonin were able to rescue the cellular dysfunction in autophagy-deficient LG-like organoids. Together, our study highlights the role of autophagy in LG along with potential therapeutic interventions for DED.

Indexed as

AutophagyLacrimal ApparatusOrganoidsCell DifferentiationCell ProliferationHuman Embryonic Stem CellsHumansPAX6 Transcription FactorPAX6 Transcription Factorautophagycell deathdevelopmentdifferentiationhESClacrimal glandNMNorganoidPAX6SEAM

Identifiers

PMID41418785
PMCPMC12925961

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.