Connecting autophagy: AMBRA1 and its network of regulation

During autophagy, a double-membraned vesicle called the autophagosome is responsible for the degradation of long-lived proteins and damaged/old organelles, thus contributing to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Physiological stimuli and stressors enhance autophagy in order to accomplish important processes such as cell differentiation or as a cytoprotective response. In line with this, numerous studies have demonstrated the relevance of proper autophagy regulation to health. Autophagy defects are associated with the insurgence of neurological/neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Moreover, the autophagy pathway is often potentiated in cancer cells to increase cell survival. Increased knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy regulation and their interplay with other cellular pathways would provide advances in cancer treatment. In this context, post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions, and regulative feedback loops offer promising insights. In this review, we focus on AMBRA1, a proautophagic protein that was recently demonstrated to participate in numerous crucial regulative mechanisms of the autophagy process.