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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Lactate Dehydrogenase Sequestration Assay — A Simple and Reliable Method to Determine Bulk Autophagic Sequestration Activity in Mammalian Cells

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A molecular switch for selective autophagosome formation.

Roarke A Kamber¹, Christopher J Shoemaker¹, Vladimir Denic¹

¹a Northwest Labs ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology ; Harvard University ; Cambridge , MA USA.

|December 10, 2015

Summary

Autophagy receptors target cellular waste for degradation by activating the Atg1 kinase. This process, involving Atg11, coordinates the initial steps of autophagosome formation.

Keywords:

Ape1 Atg1 Atg11 Atg19 Atg36 autophagosome formation pexophagy phagophore selective autophagy

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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Lactate Dehydrogenase Sequestration Assay — A Simple and Reliable Method to Determine Bulk Autophagic Sequestration Activity in Mammalian Cells

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Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy

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Published on: January 31, 2025

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Molecular biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Selective macroautophagy (autophagy) degrades cellular components.
Autophagy receptors identify and target specific structures for degradation.
The autophagy kinase, Atg1, plays a crucial role in initiating autophagy.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the mechanism by which autophagy receptors activate the Atg1 kinase.
To understand the role of scaffold protein Atg11 in autophagy initiation.
To reveal how target recognition coordinates early autophagosome biogenesis.

Main Methods:

Investigated the interactions between autophagy receptors, Atg1, and Atg11.
Utilized biochemical assays to study kinase activation.
Examined the role of these interactions in autophagosome formation.

Main Results:

Demonstrated that target-bound autophagy receptors activate the Atg1 kinase.
Showed that this activation occurs through interactions with the scaffold protein Atg11.
Established a link between target recognition and the initiation of autophagosome biogenesis.

Conclusions:

Target recognition by autophagy receptors is a key step in initiating autophagy.
The Atg1 kinase, activated by receptors via Atg11, is central to this process.
This mechanism highlights how specific targeting directs the earliest stages of autophagosome formation.