A plant-specific bridging adaptor for amphisome biogenesis.

The fusion of autophagosomes with endocytic compartments to form amphisomes has only been described in metazoans. In this issue, Zhao et al. (2022. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202203139) demonstrate the existence of amphisomes in the plant cell and identify a plant-specific adaptor protein, CFS1, that mediates their biogenesis.

Cargo receptors and adaptors for selective autophagy in plant cells.

Plant selective (macro)autophagy is a highly regulated process where eukaryotic cells spatiotemporally degrade some of their constituents that have become superfluous or harmful. The identification and characterization of the factors determining this selectivity make it possible to integrate selective (macro)autophagy into plant cell physiology and homeostasis. The specific cargo receptors and/or scaffold proteins involved in this pathway are generally not structurally conserved, as are the biochemical mechanisms underlying recognition and integration of a given cargo into the autophagosome in different cell types. This review discusses the few specific cargo receptors described in plant cells to highlight key features of selective autophagy in the plant kingdom and its integration with plant physiology, aiming to identify evolutionary convergence and knowledge gaps to be filled by future research.