The itinerary of autophagosomes: from peripheral formation to kiss-and-run fusion with lysosomes.

ABSTRACT: Macroautophagy, a constitutive process in higher eukaryotic cells, mediates degradation of many long-lived proteins and organelles. The actual events occurring during the process in the dynamic system of a living cell have never been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to develop a live-cell assay in which to follow the complete itinerary of an autophagosome. Our experiments show that autophagosomes are formed randomly in peripheral regions of the cell. They then move bidirectionally along microtubules, accumulating at the microtubule-organizing centre, in a similar way to lysosomes. Their centripetal movement is dependent on the motor protein dynein and is important for their fusion with lysosomes. Initially, autophagosomes dock on to lysosomes, independent of lysosomal acidification. Two k

SUBMITTER: Jahreiss L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2329914 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature