title: Characterization of a novel autophagy-specific gene, ATG29.
abstract: Autophagy is a process whereby cytoplasmic proteins and organelles are sequestered for bulk degradation in the vacuole/lysosome. At present, 16 ATG genes have been found that are essential for autophagosome formation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Most of these genes are also involved in the cytoplasm to vacuole transport pathway, which shares machinery with autophagy. Most Atg proteins are colocalized at the pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS), from which the autophagosome is thought to originate, but the precise mechanism of autophagy remains poorly understood. During a genetic screen aimed to obtain novel gene(s) required for autophagy, we identified a novel ORF, ATG29/YPL166w. atg29Delta cells were sensitive to starvation and induction of autophagy was severely retarded. However, the Cvt pathway operated normally. Therefore, ATG29 is an ATG gene specifically required for autophagy. Additionally, an Atg29-GFP fusion protein was observed to localize to the PAS. From these results, we propose that Atg29 functions in autophagosome formation at the PAS in collaboration with other Atg proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawamata
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: Kuninori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuboshima
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akimatsu
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsumi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohsumi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001343:Autophagy / Q000235:genetics*; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000502:physiology; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins
chemical_list: C506770:ATG29 protein, S cerevisiae; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C477823:ATG1 protein, S cerevisiae