Membrane-binding domains in autophagy

Abstract

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system conserved among eukaryotes that mediates the degradation of various biomolecules and organelles. During autophagy, a double membrane-bound organelle termed an autophagosome is synthesized de novo and delivers targets from the cytoplasm to the lysosomes for degradation. Autophagosome formation involves complex and dynamic membrane rearrangements, which are regulated by dozens of autophagy-related (Atg) proteins. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of membrane-binding domains and motifs in Atg proteins and discuss their roles in autophagy.

Keywords: Amphipathic helix; Atg protein; Autophagy; Membrane-binding domain; Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate.