Kotani T, Yasuda Y, Nakatogawa H. Molecular Mechanism of Autophagy, Cytoplasmic Zoning by Lipid Membranes.
J Biochem 2024;
175:155-165. [PMID:
37983716 DOI:
10.1093/jb/mvad099]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved intracellular degradation mechanism. The most distinctive feature of autophagy is the formation of double-membrane structures called autophagosomes, which compartmentalize portions of the cytoplasm. The outer membrane of the autophagosome fuses with the vacuolar/lysosomal membrane, leading to the degradation of the contents of the autophagosome. Approximately 30 years have passed since the identification of autophagy-related (ATG) genes and Atg proteins essential for autophagosome formation, and the primary functions of these Atg proteins have been elucidated. These achievements have significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanism of autophagosome formation. This article summarizes our current knowledge on how the autophagosome precursor is generated, and how the membrane expands and seals to complete the autophagosome.
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