Membrane delivery to the yeast autophagosome from the Golgi-endosomal system

Mol Biol Cell. 2010 Nov 15;21(22):3998-4008. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E10-05-0457. Epub 2010 Sep 22.

Abstract

While many of the proteins required for autophagy have been identified, the source of the membrane of the autophagosome is still unresolved with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), endosomes, and mitochondria all having been evoked. The integral membrane protein Atg9 is delivered to the autophagosome during starvation and in the related cytoplasm-to-vacuole (Cvt) pathway that occurs constitutively in yeast. We have examined the requirements for delivery of Atg9-containing membrane to the yeast autophagosome. Atg9 does not appear to originate from mitochondria, and Atg9 cannot reach the forming autophagosome directly from the ER or early Golgi. Components of traffic between Golgi and endosomes are known to be required for the Cvt pathway but do not appear required for autophagy in starved cells. However, we find that pairwise combinations of mutations in Golgi-endosomal traffic components apparently only required for the Cvt pathway can cause profound defects in Atg9 delivery and autophagy in starved cells. Thus it appears that membrane that contains Atg9 is delivered to the autophagosome from the Golgi-endosomal system rather than from the ER or mitochondria. This is underestimated by examination of single mutants, providing a possible explanation for discrepancies between yeast and mammalian studies on Atg9 localization and autophagosome formation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Autophagy
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Endosomes / metabolism*
  • Golgi Apparatus / metabolism*
  • Immunoblotting
  • Intracellular Membranes / metabolism
  • Luminescent Proteins / genetics
  • Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mutation
  • Phagosomes / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport
  • SNARE Proteins / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • Time Factors
  • Vacuoles / metabolism

Substances

  • ATG9 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • Luminescent Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • SNARE Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins