Autophagy, Mitophagy and Immunity

Autophagy is switched off, not switched on. mTOR phosphorylates ULK1 to keep it inhibited while nutrients last, so starvation or rapamycin releases the pathway rather than activating it. What follows is a ubiquitin-like cascade with an oddity at its centre: it conjugates a protein, LC3, onto a lipid rather than onto another protein, and that mark is what cargo receptors read. The immunological payoff is counter-intuitive \u2014 autophagy restrains IL-1\u03b2 by clearing the damaged mitochondria that would otherwise activate NLRP3, so blocking it makes inflammation worse. Click any protein for the matching Assay Genie In Vivo antibody or ELISA kit.