Biomolecular condensates in autophagy regulation

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system that contributes to cellular homeostasis. Autophagosome formation is a landmark event in autophagy, which sequesters and delivers cytoplasmic components to the lysosome for degradation. Based on selectivity, autophagy can be classified into bulk and selective autophagy, which are mechanistically distinct from each other, especially in the requirement of cargos for autophagosome formation. Recent studies revealed that liquid-like biomolecular condensates, which are formed through liquid-liquid phase separation, regulate the autophagosome formation of both bulk and selective autophagy. Here, we focus on recent findings on the involvement of biomolecular condensates in autophagy regulation and discuss their significance.

Automated summary

Autophagy is a cellular degradation system that maintains cellular homeostasis by forming autophagosomes to deliver cytoplasmic components to lysosomes for degradation. Recent studies have shown that liquid-like biomolecular condensates regulate autophagosome formation through liquid-liquid phase separation, influencing both bulk and selective autophagy.