Reconstitution of autophagosome nucleation defines Atg9 vesicles as seeds for membrane formation.

Autophagosomes form de novo in a manner that is incompletely understood. Particularly enigmatic are autophagy-related protein 9 (Atg9)-containing vesicles that are required for autophagy machinery assembly but do not supply the bulk of the autophagosomal membrane. In this study, we reconstituted autophagosome nucleation using recombinant components from yeast. We found that Atg9 proteoliposomes first recruited the phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate kinase complex, followed by Atg21, the Atg2-Atg18 lipid transfer complex, and the E3-like Atg12-Atg5-Atg16 complex, which promoted Atg8 lipidation. Furthermore, we found that Atg2 could transfer lipids for Atg8 lipidation. In selective autophagy, these reactions could potentially be coupled to the cargo via the Atg19-Atg11-Atg9 interactions. We thus propose that Atg9 vesicles form seeds that establish membrane contact sites to initiate lipid transfer from compartments such as the endoplasmic reticulum.

A Conserved LIR Motif in Connexins Mediates Ubiquitin-Independent Binding to LC3/GABARAP Proteins.

Gap junctions (GJ) are specialized cell-cell contacts formed by connexins (Cxs), which provide direct communication between adjacent cells. Cx43 ubiquitination has been suggested to induce the internalization of GJs, as well as the recruitment of the autophagy receptor p62 to mediate binding to LC3B and degradation by macroautophagy. In this report, we describe a functional LC3 interacting region (LIR), present in the amino terminal of most Cx protein family members, which can mediate the autophagy degradation of Cx43 without the need of ubiquitin. Mutation of the LIR motif on Cx37, Cx43, Cx46 and Cx50 impairs interaction with LC3B and GABARAP without compromising protein ubiquitination. Through in vitro protein-protein interaction assays, we demonstrate that this LIR motif is required for the binding of Cx43 to LC3B and GABARAP. Overall, our findings describe an alternative mechanism whereby Cxs interact with LC3/GABARAP proteins, envisioning a new model for the autophagy degradation of connexins.

How RB1CC1/FIP200 claws its way to autophagic engulfment of SQSTM1/p62-ubiquitin condensates.

Macroautophagy/autophagy mediates the degradation of ubiquitinated aggregated proteins within lysosomes in a process known as aggrephagy. The cargo receptor SQSTM1/p62 condenses aggregated proteins into larger structures and links them to the nascent autophagosomal membrane (phagophore). How the condensation reaction and autophagosome formation are coupled is unclear. We recently discovered that a region of SQSTM1 containing its LIR motif directly interacts with RB1CC1/FIP200, a protein acting at early stages of autophagosome formation. Determination of the structure of the C-terminal region of RB1CC1 revealed a claw-shaped domain. Using a structure-function approach, we show that the interaction of SQSTM1 with the RB1CC1 claw domain is crucial for the productive recruitment of the autophagy machinery to ubiquitin-positive condensates and their subsequent degradation by autophagy. We also found that concentrated Atg8-family proteins on the phagophore displace RB1CC1 from SQSTM1, suggesting an intrinsic directionality in the process of autophagosome formation. Ultimately, our study reveals how the interplay of SQSTM1 and RB1CC1 couples cargo condensation to autophagosome formation.

FIP200 Claw Domain Binding to p62 Promotes Autophagosome Formation at Ubiquitin Condensates.

The autophagy cargo receptor p62 facilitates the condensation of misfolded, ubiquitin-positive proteins and their degradation by autophagy, but the molecular mechanism of p62 signaling to the core autophagy machinery is unclear. Here, we show that disordered residues 326-380 of p62 directly interact with the C-terminal region (CTR) of FIP200. Crystal structure determination shows that the FIP200 CTR contains a dimeric globular domain that we designated the "Claw" for its shape. The interaction of p62 with FIP200 is mediated by a positively charged pocket in the Claw, enhanced by p62 phosphorylation, mutually exclusive with the binding of p62 to LC3B, and it promotes degradation of ubiquitinated cargo by autophagy. Furthermore, the recruitment of the FIP200 CTR slows the phase separation of ubiquitinated proteins by p62 in a reconstituted system. Our data provide the molecular basis for a crosstalk between cargo condensation and autophagosome formation.

Studies of Receptor-Atg8 Interactions During Selective Autophagy.

Autophagy research frequently requires the determination of protein-protein interactions. The experimental system described in this chapter allows a simple, versatile, and quantitative in vitro analysis of interactions between recombinant cargo receptor and Atg8 proteins by fluorescence microscopy. The assay can be easily modified to study other protein-protein interactions. The purified autophagy receptor is recruited to affinity resins via a suitable tag and then added to fluorescently labeled ATG8 in solution. The relative strength of the interaction can be assessed by determination of the fluorescence intensity on the surface of the bead at an equilibrium binding state. Thereby different interaction partners can be quantitatively compared, and weak or interactions with high off rates can be detected and quantified.

Accessory Interaction Motifs in the Atg19 Cargo Receptor Enable Strong Binding to the Clustered Ubiquitin-related Atg8 Protein.

Selective autophagy contributes to cellular homeostasis by delivering harmful material into the lysosomal system for degradation via vesicular intermediates referred to as autophagosomes. The cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting pathway is a variant of selective autophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during which hydrolases such as prApe1 are transported into the vacuole. In general, selectivity is achieved by autophagic cargo receptors that link the cargo to autophagosomal membranes because of their ability to simultaneously interact with the cargo and Atg8 proteins that coat the membrane. The Atg19 receptor contains multiple Atg8 interaction sites in its C terminus in addition to a canonical Atg8-interacting LC3-interacting region (LIR, with LC3 being a homolog of Atg8) motif, but their mode of interaction with Atg8 is unclear. Here we show, using a combination of NMR, microscopy-based interaction assays, and prApe1 processing experiments, that two additional sites interact with Atg8 in a LIR-like and thus mutually exclusive manner. We term these motifs accessory LIR motifs because their affinities are lower than that of the canonical LIR motif. Thus, one Atg19 molecule has the ability to interact with multiple Atg8 proteins simultaneously, resulting in a high-avidity interaction that may confer specific binding to the Atg8-coated autophagosomal membrane on which Atg8 is concentrated.

Oligomerization of p62 allows for selection of ubiquitinated cargo and isolation membrane during selective autophagy.

Autophagy is a major pathway for the clearance of harmful material from the cytoplasm. During autophagy, cytoplasmic material is delivered into the lysosomal system by organelles called autophagosomes. Autophagosomes form in a de novo manner and, in the course of their formation, isolate cargo material from the rest of the cytoplasm. Cargo specificity is conferred by autophagic cargo receptors that selectively link the cargo to the autophagosomal membrane decorated with ATG8 family proteins such as LC3B. Here we show that the human cargo receptor p62/SQSTM-1 employs oligomerization to stabilize its interaction with LC3B and linear ubiquitin when they are clustered on surfaces. Thus, oligomerization enables p62 to simultaneously select for the isolation membrane and the ubiquitinated cargo. We further show in a fully reconstituted system that the interaction of p62 with ubiquitin and LC3B is sufficient to bend the membrane around the cargo.

Hrr25 kinase promotes selective autophagy by phosphorylating the cargo receptor Atg19.

Autophagy is the major pathway for the delivery of cytoplasmic material to the vacuole or lysosome. Selective autophagy is mediated by cargo receptors, which link the cargo to the scaffold protein Atg11 and to Atg8 family proteins on the forming autophagosomal membrane. We show that the essential kinase Hrr25 activates the cargo receptor Atg19 by phosphorylation, which is required to link cargo to the Atg11 scaffold, allowing selective autophagy to proceed. We also find that the Atg34 cargo receptor is regulated in a similar manner, suggesting a conserved mechanism.

Cargo binding to Atg19 unmasks additional Atg8 binding sites to mediate membrane-cargo apposition during selective autophagy.

Autophagy protects cells from harmful substances such as protein aggregates, damaged mitochondria and intracellular pathogens, and has been implicated in a variety of diseases. Selectivity of autophagic processes is mediated by cargo receptors that link cargo to Atg8 family proteins on the developing autophagosomal membrane. To avoid collateral degradation during constitutive autophagic pathways, the autophagic machinery must not only select cargo but also exclude non-cargo material. Here we show that cargo directly activates the cargo receptor Atg19 by exposing multiple Atg8 binding sites. Furthermore, Atg19 mediates tight apposition of the cargo and Atg8-coated membranes in a fully reconstituted system. These properties are essential for the function of Atg19 during selective autophagy in vivo. Our results suggest that cargo receptors contribute to tight membrane bending of the isolation membrane around the cargo.