The world's first (and probably last) autophagy video game

Macroautophagy/autophagy is the process by which portions of the cytoplasm are sequestered within a transient compartment and delivered to the degradative organelle of the cell, the vacuole or lysosome. Autophagy is a fundamental cytoprotective mechanism, and defects in this process are associated with many diseases. For example, the inability to degrade certain cargo such as mitochondria may lead to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson disease. Autophagic cargo can be many different things including organelles, but also proteins and protein aggregates, nucleic acids, and lipids. Much of our understanding of autophagy comes from studies in baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In that organism, autophagy begins at the phagophore assembly site (PAS), which nucleates the initial sequestering compartment, referred to as a phagophore. With the help of autophagy-related (Atg) proteins and lipid addition, the phagophore membrane expands to enclose damaged or superfluous cytoplasmic components, eventually closing into a completed double-membrane vesicle called the autophagosome. The autophagosome is delivered to the degradative organelle where it fuses, releasing the encapsulated cargo into the interior of the organelle where it is broken down into macromolecular building blocks. The resulting building blocks are released back into the cytosol for reuse. Video games are modern expressions of art incorporating illustration, animation, and mechanistic design. While often underappreciated as a scientific art form, video games can beautifully express scientific topics in a way that is both intuitive and engaging, especially to a younger audience.