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Varga VB, Keresztes F, Sigmond T, Vellai T, Kovács T. The evolutionary and functional divergence of the Atg8 autophagy protein superfamily. Biol Futur 2022; 73:375-384. [PMID: 35731422 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-022-00123-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy is a highly conserved self-degradation process of eukaryotic cells which is required for the effective elimination of damaged and unnecessary cytosolic constituents. Defects in the process can cause the intracellular accumulation of such damages, thereby leading to the senescence and subsequent loss of the affected cell. Defective autophagy hence is implicated in the development of various degenerative processes, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, tissue atrophy and fibrosis, and immune deficiency, as well as in accelerated aging. The autophagic process is mediated by numerous autophagy-related (ATG) proteins, among which the ATG8/LC3/GABARAP (Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3/Gammaaminobutyric acid receptor-associated protein) superfamily has a pivotal role in the formation and maturation of autophagosome, a key (macro) autophagic structure (the autophagosome sequesters parts of the cytoplasm which are destined for breakdown). While in the unicellular yeast there is only a single ATG8 protein, metazoan systems usually contain more ATG8 paralogs. ATG8 paralogs generally display tissue-specific expression patterns and their functions are not strictly restricted to autophagy. For example, GABARAP proteins also play a role in intracellular vesicle transport, and, in addition to autophagosome formation, ATG8 also functions in selective autophagy. In this review, we summarize the functional diversity of ATG8/LC3/GABARAP proteins, using tractable genetic models applied in autophagy research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia B Varga
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Fanni Keresztes
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Tímea Sigmond
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Tibor Vellai
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary.,ELKH-ELTE Genetics Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary
| | - Tibor Kovács
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H-1117, Hungary.
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