GFP-Atg8 protease protection as a tool to monitor autophagosome biogenesis

Autophagy. 2011 Dec;7(12):1546-50. doi: 10.4161/auto.7.12.18424.

Abstract

Perhaps the most complex step of macroautophagy is the formation of the double-membrane autophagosome. The majority of the autophagy-related (Atg) proteins are thought to participate in nucleation and expansion of the phagophore, and/or the completion of this compartment. Monitoring this part of the process is difficult, and typically involves electron microscopy analysis; however, unless three-dimensional tomography is performed, even this method cannot be used to easily determine if the phagophore is completely enclosed. Accordingly, a complementary approach is to examine the accessibility of sequestered cargo to exogenously added protease. This type of protease protection analysis has been used to monitor the formation of cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) vesicles and autophagosomes by examining the protease sensitivity of precursor aminopeptidase I (prApe1). For determining the status of autophagosomes formed during nonselective autophagy, however, prApe1 is not the best marker protein. Here, we describe an alternative method for examining autophagosome completion using GFP-Atg8 as a marker for protease protection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aminopeptidases / metabolism*
  • Autophagy*
  • Autophagy-Related Protein 8 Family
  • Biological Assay / methods*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism*
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism*
  • Phagosomes / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • ATG8 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Autophagy-Related Protein 8 Family
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Aminopeptidases