Macromusophagy: A solo piano musical representation of macroautophagy

Macroautophagy is a complex process involving dynamic membrane rearrangements in which parts of the cytoplasm are sequestered within double-membrane phagophores. Upon completion, these structures mature into autophagosomes that fuse with the yeast vacuole or mammalian lysosome, leading to degradation of the cargo and release of the resulting macromolecules back into the cytosol. How can the complexities of macroautophagy best be conveyed to an audience that is composed primarily of people who are not experts in this topic, and possibly not even scientists? The literature on learning is vast, and difficult to summarize, but there are certain themes that frequently appear. First, people learn in different ways. Thus, for example, while lectures are effective for conveying information to part of the audience, some will benefit tremendously from alternative methods of presentation. The latter can be visual (taking the form of illustrations, videos, or even physical movement), tactile or audible. Second, a line of research suggests that the engagement of more than one part of the brain (dual channels) improves learning. We decided to explore these concepts focusing on an audible format through a collaborative approach by combining a scientific explanation of macroautophagy with a musical score that was composed specifically to represent this process.