Amphisomes: out of the autophagosome shadow?

Amphisomes are intermediate organelles, formed during autophagy through the fusion between autophagosomes and endosomes. Complex multivesicular vacuoles that resemble amphisomes have been observed in various cell types, but whether they have cellular roles other than being a precursor structure is still enigmatic. While autophagy-related (ATG) proteins interact with the endocytic pathways in other processes different from autophagy, Patel and colleagues now report that these factors come together to generate amphisome-like compartments that regulate mucin secretion in goblet cells.