High impact information on ATG3

• Membrane recruitment of Aut7p in the autophagy and cytoplasm to vacuole targeting pathways requires Aut1p, Aut2p, and the autophagy conjugation complex [1].
• These reactions require the action of the E1-like enzyme, Apg7p, and the E2-like enzymes, Apg3p and Apg10p [2].
• The majority of Cca1p-II and Cca1p-III, translated from ATG2 and ATG3, respectively, is in the cytosol but both are also located in the nucleus for processing precursors [3].
• The AUT1 gene, essential for autophagy, was isolated by complementation of the sporulation deficiency of a diploid aut1-1 mutant strain by a yeast genomic library and characterized [4].
• Cells carrying a chromosomal deletion of AUT1 are defective in the starvation-induced bulk flow transport of cytoplasmic proteins to the vacuole. aut1 null mutant strains are completely viable but show decreased survival rates during starvation [4].

Biological context of ATG3

• While this novel processing event is essential for Aut7p membrane binding, Aut7p must undergo additional physical interactions with Aut1p and the autophagy (Apg) conjugation complex before recruitment to the membrane [1].
• Homozygous delta aut1 diploid cells fail to sporulate [4].
• Deletion of the AUT1 gene had no obvious influence on secretion, fluid phase endocytosis, or vacuolar protein sorting [4].
• AUT1, a gene essential for autophagocytosis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [4].
• AUT1 is located on the right arm of chromosome XIV, 10 kb from the centromere, and encodes a protein of 310 amino acids, with an estimated molecular weight of 36 kDa [4].

Associations of ATG3 with chemical compounds

• Crystals of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Atg3 have been obtained by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using ammonium sulfate and lithium sulfate as precipitants [5].
• Atg3 is an E2-like enzyme that catalyzes the conjugation reaction between Atg8 and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) [5].
• A sulfate ion was bound near the catalytic cysteine of Atg3, suggesting a possible binding site for the phosphate moiety of PE [6].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of ATG3

• Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Atg3 [5].
• The rat Apg3p/Aut1p homolog is upregulated by ischemic preconditioning in the retina [7].

References