Autophagy is a catabolic process for the autophagosomic-lysosomal degradation of bulk cytoplasmic contents. Autophagy is generally activated by conditions of nutrient deprivation but has also been associated with a number of physiological processes including development, differentiation, neurodegeneration, infection, and cancer. The molecular machinery of autophagy was largely discovered in yeast and referred to as autophagy-related genes. Formation of the autophagosome involves a ubiquitin-like conjugation system in which Atg12 is covalently bound to Atg5 and targeted to autophagosome vesicles. This conjugation reaction is mediated by the ubiquitin E1-like enzyme Atg7 and the E2-like enzyme Atg10.
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