title: Autophagosome formation in mammalian cells.
abstract: Macroautophagy is an intracellular degradation system for the majority of proteins and some organelles. The molecular mechanism of autophagy has been extensively studied using the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, during these past 10 years. These studies suggested that the molecular machinery of autophagosome formation is well conserved from yeast to higher eukaryotes. Identification and characterization of the mammalian counterparts of the yeast autophagy proteins has facilitated our understanding of mammalian autophagy, particularly of autophagosome formation. These findings are now being applied to studies on the physiological roles of autophagy in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan. nmizu@nibb.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mizushima
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohsumi
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism*; D011494:Protein Kinases; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D022161:Transport Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C490979:HSPA4L protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C477823:ATG1 protein, S cerevisiae