Plant Selective Autophagy—Still an Uncharted Territory With a Lot of Hidden Gems. Issue 1 (3rd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stephani, Madlen; Dagdas, Yasin
• Is Part Of: Journal of molecular biology. Volume 432:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 63
• Page End: 79
• Publication Date: 2020-01-03
• Subjects: Arabidopsis -- Plant selective autophagy -- Selective autophagy receptor -- Cell-type specificity -- ATG8 specialization; Molecular biology -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Bacteriology -- Periodicals; Molecular Biology -- Periodicals; Biochemistry -- Periodicals; Biologie moléculaire -- Périodiques; Biologie -- Périodiques; Biochimie -- Périodiques; Moleculaire biologie; Biochemistry; Biology; Molecular biology; Periodicals; 572.805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.06.028
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-2836

Abstract

Abstract: Selective autophagy has emerged as a major quality control pathway that surgically removes damaged or unwanted macromolecules to maintain cellular health. Defects in selective autophagy have been linked with several neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, and aging in animal models. Similarly, genetic studies have shown that autophagy is involved in a wide range of stress responses in plants. Over the last decade, as discussed in other review articles in this special issue, ground-breaking studies in yeast and mammalian models uncovered molecular details of selective cargo recognition and autophagosome biogenesis. However, despite the growing interest in "green autophagy, " we still have large gaps in our understanding of selective autophagy processes in plants. In this opinion article, we will highlight some of these unknowns that motivate us and discuss how we are trying to address them. Furthermore, we will propose a three-layered approach, already feasible in Arabidopsis root, that envisions to bridge mechanistic studies with cell type and stimulus-specific autophagy dynamics that could reveal the extent to which selective autophagy contributes to organismal fitness. Altogether, we hope it will provide a framework for future studies that move beyond genetic analysis and aim to mechanistically unravel how selective autophagy contributes to plant survival. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: For each organelle, metazoans seem to have evolved multiple selective autophagy receptors that constitute a robust cellular quality control system. Organelle recycling via selective autophagy is still largely unexplored in plants. Plants lack homologs of known selective autophagy players, suggesting they have evolved other means to recycle damaged or unwanted organelles. A three layered approach that combines stimulus specificity with cell-type specificity and subcellular compartmentalization will reveal how distinct selective autophagy processes contribute to organismal fitness. Arabidopsis root is an excellent in vivo model system to study selective autophagy in great detail.