Autophagy articles from across Nature Portfolio

The health of brain cells is known to depend on functional autophagy, but the details are unclear. Here, the authors perform systematic proteomic profiling of human and mouse neurons, delineating the landscape of autophagy degradation in brain.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) controls the synthesis of lipids and proteins and Ca²⁺ homeostasis, as well as contacting other organelles and the plasma membrane. A study now looks at a process by which this compartment is remodelled in axons during neurogenesis: the lysosomal clearance of ER subdomains, driven by FAM134 and CCPG1 proteins.

In addition to its role in proteasomal degradation, ubiquitin has multiple roles in autophagy. It can mark proteins for autophagic degradation and actively drive autophagosome formation. Recent work shows that ubiquitin can also be conjugated to phospholipids and other biomolecules.

Mutant gain-of-function p53 is commonly found in human cancers. Huang, Cao, Qian et al. developed and validated the use of multifunctional biomimetic nanoreceptors that bind to and promote the degradation of mutant p53 as a cancer therapy.

How do metabolic stresses trigger catabolic autophagy for cell survival? A study now reveals that the metabolite sensor Pho81 integrates into and activates the kinase activity of the Atg1 complex for pexophagy triggered by phosphate starvation. This demonstrates the plasticity of the autophagy-initiating Atg1 complex.