Role of selective autophagy in cellular remodeling: "self-eating" into shape.

The Atg1 Ser/Thr kinase, although now a well-established regulator of autophagy, was first identified genetically in C. elegans as a requirement for axonal elongation. However, possible connections between Atg1 functions in cellular morphogenesis and in autophagy were previously unaddressed. In the recent paper highlighted in this punctum, we reconciled these dual roles for Atg1, demonstrating a requirement for p62-mediated selective autophagy in the dynamic regulation of cell shape, in both fly and mammalian macrophages, with effects on immune cell functions. This work further strengthens the emerging importance of autophagy as a post-translational regulatory mechanism in diverse cell signaling contexts, including the cortical remodeling and function of immune cells.