Macroautophagy is the process by which defective proteins and entire organelles are sequestered in membrane compartments called autophagosomes, which ultimately fuse with lysosomes and undergo degradation. The genes Atg5 and Atg7 are believed to be essential for mammalian macroautophagy. Here it is shown, however, that under certain stress conditions mouse cells lacking Atg5 or Atg7 can still perform autophagy-mediated protein degradation through an alternative pathway.
- Yuya Nishida
- Satoko Arakawa
- Shigeomi Shimizu
