Eating the messenger (RNA): Autophagy shapes the cellular RNA landscape

Abstract

Cellular degradation pathways are instrumental for maintenance of homeostasis, especially under stress. Autophagy, the collection of pathways that shuttle cytoplasmic material to the vacuole for degradation and recycling, is known for shaping the cell’s proteome, lipidome, metabolome, and organelle content in response to environmental and developmental cues. However, until recently, little was known regarding its role in shaping cellular RNA quantity and diversity (RNAome). Recent data, including those from Hickl et al. (2021), highlight autophagy as a central pathway in RNA degradation, including the selective targeting of specific mRNA species, suggesting its role in post-transcriptional regulation.