Authors: Qianqian Liang, Peiguo Yang, E Tian, Jinghua Han and Hong Zhang

Qianqian Liang

College of Life Sciences; Beijing Normal University; Beijing, China; National Institute of Biological Sciences; Beijing, China

Peiguo Yang

National Institute of Biological Sciences; Beijing, China

E Tian

National Institute of Biological Sciences; Beijing, China

Jinghua Han

National Institute of Biological Sciences; Beijing, China

Hong Zhang

Corresponding author: zhanghong@nibs.ac.cn
State Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules; Institute of Biophysics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing, China; National Institute of Biological Sciences; Beijing, China

Abstract:
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that involves the engulfment of cytoplasmic contents in a closed double-membrane structure, called the autophagosome, and their subsequent delivery to the vacuole/lysosomes for degradation. Genetic screens in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have identified more than 30 autophagy-related (Atg) genes that are essential for autophagosome formation. Here we isolated a novel autophagy gene, epg-9, whose loss of function causes defective autophagic degradation of a variety of protein aggregates during C. elegans embryogenesis. Mutations in epg-9 also reduce survival of animals under food depletion conditions. epg-9 mutants exhibit autophagy phenotypes characteristic of those associated with loss of function of unc-51/Atg1 and epg-1/Atg13. epg-9 encodes a protein with significant homology to mammalian ATG101. EPG-9 directly interacts with EPG-1/Atg13. Our study indicates that EPG-9 forms a complex with EPG-1 in the aggrephagy pathway in C. elegans.

Received: March 20, 2011; Accepted: June 18, 2012; Published Online: August 13, 2012

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