Ribophagy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Autophagic degradation of proteins and organelles is well studied, but the role of autophagy in RNA regulation is unclear. Here, the authors profile mRNAs targeted to the vacuole in yeast and observe autophagy-mediated mRNA degradation is not random but rather is a preferential process.

During nutrient stress, ribosomal protein abundance is regulated primarily by translational and non-autophagic degradative mechanisms, but ribosome density per cell is largely maintained by reductions in cell volume and rates of cell division.

An and Harper quantify ribophagy in mammalian cells and show that nutrient-deprivation-induced ribophagy is independent of the ATG8 conjugation system, whereas proteotoxic stress-induced ribophagy requires ATG5 and VPS34.

Selective autophagy is important for controlled degradation of cellular components. However, a selective autophagic degradation mechanism for ribosomes in mammals has remained unclear. A study now describes non-selective and selective ribosome degradation and a significant role for ‘bystander’ non-selective autophagy.