The RB1CC1 Claw-binding motif: a new piece in the puzzle of autophagy regulation

Abstract

RB1CC1/FIP200 is a subunit of the ULK1 complex in more complex eukaryotes. This large polypeptide was proposed to be a functional homolog of the Atg17 and Atg11 scaffolding proteins in yeast. Previous studies showed that RB1CC1 can bind to various proteins of the macroautophagy/autopha-gy machinery, where the RB1CC1 Claw domain directly interacts with a short linear segment of its interactors. A mechanistic insight into how the small globular RB1CC1 Claw domain can interact with such an array of structurally variable proteins has been elusive. The recent study by Zhou et al., discussed here, yields structural data that not only provide a unifying mechanistic explanation of these interactions, but also reveals previously unknown RB1CC1 interactors and opens a new field for exploration of autophagy regulation.