Multifunctional Roles of Autophagy Related Genes in Fungi

Autophagy, also referred to as the “self-eating machinery”, is a crucial process where organisms maintain intracellular homeostasis through recycling or degrading non-essential and damaged cellular components, especially during starvation conditions. Autophagy is important in numerous biological functions such as cellular differentiation, aging, nutrient sensing, stress response, tissue homeostasis, immunity, and programmed cell death. To induce autophagy, a double-layered membrane structure called “autophagosome” wraps damaged organelles or proteins and transports them to the vacuole or lysosome for degradation. Autophagy is beneficial to organisms, and it should be optimally regulated because elevated or decreased levels are detrimental for survival. To date more than 40 autophagy-related genes (ATGs) have been identified in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with most having homologs in fungi and higher eukaryotes. Majority of the ATGs in industrial and pathogenic fungal species have been characterized and known to play vital roles in growth, development, and virulence. In this review we provide a comprehensive overview of ATGs in various fungal species and highlight how autophagy is regulated and controls various functions in plant, human, and industrial fungal species.