The symphony of autophagy and calcium signaling

Posttranslational regulation of macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), including phosphorylating and dephosphorylating components of the autophagy-related (Atg) core machinery and the corresponding upstream transcriptional factors, is important for the precise modulation of autophagy levels. Several kinases that are involved in phosphorylating autophagy-related proteins have been identified in both yeast and mammalian cells. However, there has been much less research published with regard to the identification of the complementary phosphatases that function in autophagy. A recent study identified PPP3/calcineurin, a calcium-dependent phosphatase, as a regulator of autophagy, and demonstrated that one of the key targets of PPP3/calcineurin is TFEB, a master transcriptional factor that controls autophagy and lysosomal function in mammalian cells.