Mechanism of controlling autophagy by liquid-liquid phase separation revealed

(Japan Science and Technology Agency) Japanese scientists elucidated characteristics of PAS through observing the Atg protein using a fluorescence microscope and successfully reconstituted PAS in vitro. The team revealed, for the first time, that PAS is in the state of liquid droplets formed by liquid-liquid phase separation of Atg13 together with other Atg proteins and that this liquid droplet is responsible for autophagy.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news