title: Autophagosome Maturation and Fusion.
abstract: Macroautophagy, or simply autophagy, is a degradative pathway that delivers cytoplasmic components, including cytosol and organelles, to the lysosome in double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes. This process is initiated at the pre-autophagosomal structure or phagophore assembly site and involves a number of highly conserved autophagy-related proteins. These support the generation and conversion of an open membranous cistern known as the phagophore or isolation membrane into a closed autophagosome. Within this review, we will focus on recent insights into the molecular events following the sealing/completion of an autophagosome, which lead to its maturation and subsequent fusion with endosomes/lysosomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: f.m.reggiori@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reggiori
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology/Chemistry, University of Osnabrück, Barbarastrasse 13, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany. Electronic address: cu@uos.de.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ungermann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000071182:Autophagosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D001343:Autophagy; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D011992:Endosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015003:Yeasts / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050600:SNARE Proteins
keywords: ATG protein; SNARE; autophagosome; lysosome; membrane fusion