Autophagosome biogenesis comes out of the black box

• Published in: Nature cell biology Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 450 - 456
• Main Authors: Chang, Chunmei, Jensen, Liv E., Hurley, James H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-05-2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 14/19; 631/45/612/1237; 631/80/39/2346; Autophagosomes - metabolism; Autophagy; Autophagy (Cytology); Autophagy - physiology; Autophagy-Related Proteins - metabolism; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Cancer Research; Cargo; Cell Biology; Cell membranes; Cell research; Cellular signal transduction; Developmental Biology; Endoplasmic Reticulum - metabolism; Kinases; Life Sciences; Lipids; Mammals; Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Molecular modelling; Phagocytosis; Phagosomes; Phospholipids; Physiological aspects; Protein transport; Proteins; Review Article; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins - metabolism; Stem Cells; Structure; United States
• ISSN: 1465-7392; 1476-4679
• DOI: 10.1038/s41556-021-00669-y

Macroautophagic clearance of cytosolic materials entails the initiation, growth and closure of autophagosomes. Cargo triggers the assembly of a web of cargo receptors and core machinery. Autophagy-related protein 9 (ATG9) vesicles seed the growing autophagosomal membrane, which is supplied by de novo phospholipid synthesis, phospholipid transport via ATG2 proteins and lipid flipping by ATG9. Autophagosomes close via ESCRT complexes. Here, we review recent discoveries that illuminate the molecular mechanisms of autophagosome formation and discuss emerging questions in this rapidly developing field.
In this Review, Hurley and colleagues cover the most recent discoveries and the emerging molecular understanding of the mechanisms of autophagosome formation.