Glycophagy: A selective autophagy pathway for glycogen degradation

Selective autophagy is the process by which specific cellular components are degraded through cargo receptors that recognize target molecules for lysosomal degradation. Among these pathways, glycophagy is a form of ubiquitin-independent selective autophagy that specifically targets glycogen for degradation. In this review, we discuss the molecular components involved in glycophagy, with a particular focus on starch-binding domain-containing protein 1 (STBD1), which functions as a selective autophagy receptor by recognizing glycogen and facilitating its recruitment to autophagosomes. We also examine the physiological and pathological roles of glycophagy, as well as potential therapeutic strategies for targeting this pathway in disease. Finally, we highlight outstanding questions and future directions in this emerging field.