Susmita Kaushik, Ph.D.

Autophagy is a lysosomal recycling hub that maintains quality control inside cells. Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a subtype of autophagy that selectively targets proteins for lysosomal degradation. Dr. Kaushik’s research focuses on three interconnected themes:

Selective autophagy and lysosomal quality control: Research in this area examines how CMA and related lysosomal pathways maintain proteostasis, support cellular resilience, and become compromised during aging and disease. Dr. Kaushik’s contributions include studies defining lysosomal membrane dynamics in CMA, mechanisms of cargo recognition, and the regulation of this selective autophagy pathway under physiological conditions, stress, and aging.

Metabolism and whole-body homeostasis: A major focus is how CMA regulates lipid metabolism, including the formation and mobilization of fat stores, and how age-related decline in CMA contributes to altered lipid homeostasis. Dr. Kaushik co-discovered lipophagy, the autophagic degradation of lipid droplets, and her work has helped define the roles of autophagy in lipid metabolism, lipolysis, adipocyte differentiation, calorie-restriction responses, and brown adipose tissue thermogenic activity. These studies connect lysosomal quality-control pathways to nutrient responses, energy balance, adipose tissue function, and metabolic adaptation across tissues.

Neuronal function and neurological disease mechanisms: Dr. Kaushik studies how CMA and lysosomal function preserve neuronal proteostasis, regulate neuronal activity, and support brain function during aging and metabolic stress. Her contributions include studies on CMA in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, tau biology, neuronal proteome maintenance, synaptic function, and hypothalamic control of food intake and energy balance. Her interests also extend to lysosomal disorders, with current efforts directed toward understanding mechanisms underlying NGLY1 deficiency, a rare genetic disorder.

Dr. Kaushik is a highly cited scientist in autophagy and lysosomal biology, with more than 41,000 citations, an h-index of 53, and an i10-index of 66.

Research Papers

Harrison R, Gjergjova F, Pelka S, Macho-Gonzalez A, Chavda B, Lindenau K, Gazteluiturri Garcia A, Khawaja RR, Aguilan JT, Sidoli S, Kaushik S, Botbol Y, Cuervo AM, Macian F.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy is required for regulatory T cell function. 
Nat Commun. 2026 May 22. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42173902.

Santiago-Fernández O, Coletto L, Tasset I, Kaushik S, Concepcion AR, Qaisar R, Macho-González A, Lindenau K, Diaz A, Khawaja RR, Donega S, Banskota N, Ubaida-Mohien C, Pharaoh G, Ahn B, Hartnell LM, Ramírez-Pardo I, Chavda B, Gazteluiturri A, Kinter M, Ferrucci L, Reisz JA, D'Alessandro A, Van Remmen H, Muñoz-Cánoves P, Feske S, Cuervo AM.
Age-related decline of chaperone-mediated autophagy in skeletal muscle leads to progressive myopathy. 
Nat Metab. 2025; 7: 2589-2611. PMID: 41339969.

Mestres-Arenas A, Quesada-López T, Blasco-Roset A, Gavaldà-Navarro A, Godoy-Nieto FJ, Cereijo R, Kaushik S, Diaz A, Giralt M, Villarroya F, Cuervo AM, Villarroya J.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy controls brown adipose tissue thermogenic activity.
Sci Adv. 2025; 11: eady0415. PMID: 41160696.

Khawaja RR, Griego E, Lindenau K, Salek A, Gambardella J, Scrivo A, Monday HR, Bourdenx M, Madero-Pérez J, Khan ZN, Chavda B, Cutler R, Graff S, Sidoli S, Santulli G, Santambrogio L, Tasset I, Kaushik S, Gan L, Castillo PE, Cuervo AM.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy regulates neuronal activity by sex-specific remodelling of the synaptic proteome.
Nat Cell Biol. 2025; 27: 1688. PMID: 41087566.

Khawaja RR, Martín-Segura A, Santiago-Fernández O, Sereda R, Lindenau K, McCabe M, Macho-González A, Jafari M, Scrivo A, Gomez-Sintes R, Chavda B, Saez-Ibanez AR, Tasset I, Arias E, Xie X, Kim M, Kaushik S, Cuervo AM.
Sex-specific and cell-type-specific changes in chaperone-mediated autophagy across tissues during aging. 
Nat Aging. 2025; 5: 691. PMID: 39910244.

Jafari M, Macho-González A, Diaz A, Lindenau K, Santiago-Fernández O, Zeng M, Massey AC, de Cabo R, Kaushik S, Cuervo AM.
Calorie restriction and calorie-restriction mimetics activate chaperone-mediated autophagy.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2024; 121: e2317945121. PMID: 38889154

Manole A, Wong T, Rhee A, Novak S, Chin SM, Tsimring K, Paucar A, Williams A, Newmeyer TF, Schafer ST, Rosh I, Kaushik S, Hoffman R, Chen S, Wang G, Snyder M, Cuervo AM, Andrade L, Manor U, Lee K, Jones JR, Stern S, Marchetto MC, Gage FH.
NGLY1 mutations cause protein aggregation in human neurons.
Cell Rep. 2023; 42: 113466. PMID: 38039131

Kaushik S, Juste YR, Lindenau K, Dong S, Macho-González A, Santiago-Fernández O, McCabe M, Singh R, Gavathiotis E, Cuervo AM.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy regulates adipocyte differentiation.
Sci Adv. 2022; 8: eabq2733. PMID: 36383673

Juste YR, Kaushik S, Bourdenx M, Aflakpui R, Bandyopadhyay S, Garcia F, Diaz A, Lindenau K, Tu V, Krause GJ, Jafari M, Singh R, Muñoz J, Macian F, Cuervo AM.
Reciprocal regulation of chaperone-mediated autophagy and the circadian clock.
Nat Cell Biol. 2021; 23: 1255. PMID: 34876687.

Bourdenx M, Martin-Segura A, Scrivo A, Rodriguez-Navarro JA, Kaushik S, Tasset I, Diaz A, Storm NJ, Xin Q, Juste YR, Stevenson E, Luengo E, Clement CC, Choi SJ, Krogan NJ, Mosharov EV, Santambrogio L, Grueninger F, Collin L, Swaney DL, Sulzer D, Gavathiotis E, Cuervo AM.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy prevents collapse of the neuronal metastable proteome.
Cell. 2021; 184: 2696-2714. PMID: 33891876

Dong S, Wang Q, Kao YR, Diaz A, Tasset I, Kaushik S, Thiruthuvanathan V, Zintiridou A, Nieves E, Dzieciatkowska M, Reisz JA, Gavathiotis E, D'Alessandro A, Will B, Cuervo AM.
Chaperone-mediated autophagy sustains haematopoietic stem--cell function.
Nature. 2021; 591: 117-23. PMID: 33442062

Kaushik S, Cuervo AM.
Degradation of lipid droplet-associated proteins by chaperone-mediated autophagy facilitates lipolysis.
Nat Cell Biol. 2015; 17: 759-70. PMID: 25961502 + F1000 Prime recommended + Featured: Preview, Cell Metab + Featured in communication media: Bioportfolio

Kaushik S*, Arias E*, Kwon H, Lopez NM, Athonvarangkul D, Sahu S, Schwartz GJ, Pessin JE, Singh R.
Loss of autophagy in hypothalamic POMC neurons impairs lipolysis.
EMBO Rep. 2012; 13: 258-65. PMID: 22249165 *equal contribution + F1000 Prime recommended + Issue Cover + Featured: Hot off the Press, EMBO Rep

Kaushik S, Rodriguez-Navarro JA, Arias E, Kiffin R, Sahu S, Schwartz GJ, Cuervo AM, Singh R.
Autophagy in hypothalamic AgRP neurons regulates food intake and energy balance.
Cell Metab. 2011; 14: 173-83. PMID: 21803288 + F1000 Prime recommended + Featured: Research Highlights, Nat Med + Media coverage: Eureka Alert, Jay Leno Show, LA Times, National Public Radio, Scientist Magazine

Sahu R, Kaushik S, Clement CC, Cannizzo ES, Scharf B, Follenzi A, Potolicchio I, Nieves E, Cuervo AM, Santambrogio L.
Microautophagy of cytosolic proteins by late endosomes.
Dev Cell. 2011; 20: 131-9. PMID: 21238931 + Featured: Preview, Dev Cell + Featured: Research Highlight, Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol

Bandyopadhyay U, Sridhar S, Kaushik S, Kiffin R, Cuervo AM.
Identification of regulators of chaperone-mediated autophagy.
Mol Cell. 2010; 39: 535-47. PMID: 20797626 + F1000 Prime recommended

Martinez-Vicente M, Talloczy Z, Wong E, Tang G, Koga H, Kaushik S, de Vries R, Arias E, Harris S, Sulzer D, Cuervo AM.
Cargo recognition failure is responsible for inefficient autophagy in Huntington’s disease.
Nat Neurosci. 2010; 13: 567-76. PMID: 20383138 + F1000 Prime recommended + Featured: Leading Edge, Cell + Featured: Research Highlight, Nat Rev Neurol

Singh R*, Kaushik S*, Wang Y, Xiang Y, Novak I, Komatsu M, Tanaka K, Cuervo AM, Czaja MJ.
Autophagy regulates lipid metabolism.
Nature. 2009; 458: 1131-5. PMID: 19339967 *equal contribution + F1000 Prime recommended + Featured: News & Views, Nature + Featured: Preview, Dev Cell + Media coverage: ABC, BBC, Discover Magazine, Science Central, Science Daily, Washington Post

Martinez-Vicente M, Talloczy Z, Kaushik S, Massey AC, Mazzulli J, Mosharov EV, Hodara R, Fredenburg R, Wu DC, Follenzi A, Dauer W, Przedborski S, Ischiropoulos H, Lansbury PT, Sulzer D, Cuervo AM.
Dopamine-modified alpha-synuclein blocks chaperone-mediated autophagy.
J Clin Invest. 2008; 118: 777-88. PMID: 18172548 + F1000 Prime recommended + Media coverage: NINDS news, Reuters, Science Daily

Kiffin R*, Kaushik S*, Zeng M, Bandyopadhyay U, Zhang C, Massey AC, Martinez-Vicente M, Cuervo AM.
Altered dynamics of the lysosomal receptor for chaperone-mediated autophagy with age.
J Cell Sci. 2007; 120: 782-91. PMID: 17284523 *equal contribution

Kaushik S, Massey AC, Cuervo AM.
Lysosome membrane lipid microdomains: novel regulators of chaperone-mediated autophagy.
EMBO J. 2006; 25: 3921-33. PMID: 16917501 + Selected: Autophagy Section of ASCB Image and Video Library

Review Articles/ Book Chapters

Chaperone-mediated autophagy in health and disease. 
Autophagy - From Molecular Mechanisms to Flux Control in Health and Disease. Learning Materials in Biosciences. Eds. Loos B and Klionsky DJ. Springer, Cham: 2025, 283-309.

Kaushik S, Tasset I, Arias E, Pampliega O, Wong E, Martinez-Vicente M, Cuervo AM.
Autophagy and the hallmarks of aging.
Ageing Res Rev. 2021; 72: 101468. PMID: 34563704 + Part of special issue: Women in Aging Research

Klionsky DJ, ... Kaushik S, ... et al.
Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition).
Autophagy. 2021; 17: 1-382. PMID: 33634751

Kaushik S, Cuervo AM.
The coming of age of chaperone-mediated autophagy.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2018; 19: 365-81. PMID: 29626215

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