Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Author Spotlight: Imaging ATG9A, a Multi-Spanning Membrane Protein
Published on: June 16, 2023
The Atg8 Family of Proteins-Modulating Shape and Functionality of Autophagic Membranes
Iman Abdollahzadeh1,2, Melanie Schwarten1, Thomas Gensch2
1Institute of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Forschungszentrum JülichJülich, Germany.
Abstract:
Aging is a multifactorial process involving an accumulation of alterations on various organizational levels, which finally compromises viability and limits the lifespan of organisms. It is now well-established that many aspects of aging can be positively affected by (macro)autophagy, a mechanism of self-digestion found in virtually all eukaryotic cells. A comprehensive understanding of autophagy is thus expected to not only deepen our insight into the mechanisms of aging but to also open up new avenues toward increasing the healthy lifespan in humans. In this review, we focus on the Atg8 family of ubiquitin-like proteins, which play a crucial role in the autophagy process by virtue of their unique mode of reversible membrane association.
Related Concept Videos
Autophagy
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Coat Assembly and GTPases
Coat assembly depends on the local availability of phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs and GTP-binding proteins. Adaptor proteins, which link the coat proteins to the membrane, bind to these PIPs and play a crucial role in controlling...
Export of Misfolded Proteins out of the ER
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Tail-anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane

