Involvement of phosphorylation of ULK1 in alternative autophagy

Alternative autophagy is an ATG5 (autophagy related 5)-independent, Golgi membrane-derived form of macroautophagy. ULK1 (unc-51 like kinase 1) is an essential initiator not only for canonical autophagy but also for alternative autophagy. However, the mechanism as to how ULK1 differentially regulates both types of autophagy has remained unclear. Recently, we identified a novel phosphorylation site of ULK1 at Ser746, which is required for alternative autophagy, but not canonical autophagy. We also identify RIPK3 (receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3) as the kinase responsible for genotoxic stress-induced ULK1 S746 phosphorylation. These findings indicate that RIPK3-dependent ULK1 S746 phosphorylation plays a pivotal role in genotoxic stress-induced alternative autophagy.