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Figure 1. Schematic illustration of PD-related genes involved in different steps of autophagy. Many genes linked to PD are associated with macroautophagy, CMA, mitophagy, and subsequent lysosomal functions, which are listed in the white boxes of the scheme. Macroautophagy is initiated by a phagophore, forming the double-membraned autophagosome to sequester cytosolic constituents and damaged organelles. Then, the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes forms the autolysosome for degradation of its contents. In CMA, the chaperone protein HSC70 targets and transports unfolded proteins to lysosomes by binding to the lysosomal receptor LAMP2A. Selective mitophagy labels only damaged mitochondria for downstream autophagic degradation. In addition, VPS35 plays an important role in the trafficking between endosomes and the trans-Golgi network. PD: Parkinson’s disease; CMA: chaperone-mediated autophagy; HSC70: heat shock cognate 70-kDa protein; LAMP2A: lysosome-associated membrane protein 2A; VPS35: vacuolar protein sorting 35.