A novel regulator of autophagosome biogenesis and lipid droplet dynamics

Abstract

Autophagosome biogenesis is the key event associated with the stress‐responsive autophagic pathway, allowing the capture of specific cargoes and their delivery to the lysosomal degradative compartment. Although the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) appears to be central for the assembly of autophagosomal membranes, it is also involved in several events regulating trafficking and local signaling, e.g., the establishment of contact sites with other organelles, the vesicular transport to the Golgi apparatus, and the biogenesis and turnover of lipid droplets. In this issue of EMBO reports , Moretti et al [[1][1]] identify the ER transmembrane protein TMEM41B as a novel regulator of autophagosome biogenesis and unravel its involvement in lipid droplet dynamics, also highlighting the role of ER components at the interface of lipid metabolism and regulation of autophagy. EMBO Reports (2018) 19: e46858 [1]: #ref-1