Neues zur Struktur und Funktion von ATG9-Vesikeln in Synapsen

Abstract Neurons communicate via release of neurotransmitters at synapses, which requires hundreds of different proteins. Here, autophagy plays a key role in protein maintenance and degradation, with vesicles containing the protein ATG9 being crucial for the formation of autophagosomes. We found that these vesicles, while resembling synaptic vesicles in size and density, represent a separate and heterogeneous vesicle population in the synapse. They serve as a platform for the recruitment and assembly of various effector proteins required for interaction with different intracellular organelles.