title: Myosins, Actin and Autophagy.
abstract: Myosin motor proteins working together with the actin cytoskeleton drive a wide range of cellular processes. In this review, we focus on their roles in autophagy - the pathway the cell uses to ensure homeostasis by targeting pathogens, misfolded proteins and damaged organelles for degradation. The actin cytoskeleton regulated by a host of nucleating, anchoring and stabilizing proteins provides the filament network for the delivery of essential membrane vesicles from different cellular compartments to the autophagosome. Actin networks have also been implicated in structurally supporting the expanding phagophore, moving autophagosomes and enabling efficient fusion with the lysosome. Only a few myosins have so far been shown to play a role in autophagy. Non-muscle myosin IIA functions in the early stages delivering membrane for the initial formation of the autophagosome, whereas myosin IC and myosin VI are involved in the final stages providing specific membranes for autophagosome maturation and its fusion with the lysosome.
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
authors.forename: Antonina J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kruppa
authors.affiliation: MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kendrick-Jones
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
authors.forename: Folma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buss
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D009218:Myosins
keywords: actin; autophagy; lysosome; myosin