Regulator and substrate: Dual roles for the ATG1-ATG13 kinase complex during autophagic recycling in Arabidopsis

Like other organisms, plants rely on autophagy to recycle intracellular components needed for development, new growth and survival during nutrient stress. This 'self eating' is a catabolic process by which unwanted cytoplasmic materials and dysfunctional organelles are sequestered into vesicles and subsequently delivered to the vacuole for breakdown. The process is tightly regulated by the autophagy-related 1(ATG1)-ATG13 kinase complex which is controlled by multiple nutrient-responsive upstream regulators that integrate nutrient demand with availability. To further appreciate how autophagy is controlled in plants, we recently examined the functions of the ATG1-ATG13 complex in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our data revealed a dual role for the ATG1-ATG13 complex, first as a regulator of plant autophagy, and second as a substrate of this recycling process.