The role of meiotic proteasome-mediated degradation has been extensively studied. At the same time, macroautophagy/autophagy only emerged recently as an essential regulator for meiosis progression. Our recent publication showed that autophagy in meiotic cells exhibits a temporal pattern distinct from that in quiescent cells or mitotic cells under prolonged starvation. Importantly, autophagic activity oscillates during meiotic cell divisions, i.e., meiosis I and meiosis II, which can accelerate meiotic progression and increase sporulation efficiency. Our in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that the conserved phosphatase Cdc14 stimulates autophagy initiation during meiotic divisions, specifically in anaphase I and II, when a subpopulation of active Cdc14 relocates to the cytosol and interacts with phagophore assembly sites (PAS) triggering the dephosphorylation of Atg13 to stimulate Atg1 kinase activity and autophagy. Together, our findings reveal a mechanism for the coordination of autophagy activity in the context of meiosis progression.
Keywords: Atg1; Atg13; Cdc14; autophagy; meiosis; phosphatase; sporulation.