Autophagy is a lysosome-based degradation pathway. During autophagy, lysosomes fuse with autophagosomes to form autolysosomes. Following starvation-induced autophagy, nascent lysosomes are formed from autolysosomal membranes through an evolutionarily conserved cellular process, autophagiclysosomereformation (ALR), which is critical for maintaining lysosome homeostasis. Here we report that clathrin andphosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P(2)) regulate ALR. Combining a screen of candidates identified through proteomic analysis of purified ALR tubules, and large-scale RNAi knockdown, we unveiled a tightly regulated molecular pathway that controls lysosome homeostasis, in which clathrin and PtdIns(4,5)P(2) are the central components. Our functional study demonstrates the central role of clathrin and its associated proteins in cargo sorting, phospholipid conversion, initiation of autolysosome tubulation, and proto-lysosome budding during ALR. Our data not only uncover a molecular pathway by which lysosome homeostasis is maintained through the ALR process, but also reveal unexpected functions of clathrin and PtdIns(4,5)P(2) in lysosome homeostasis.

Rong YG, Liu M, Ma L, Du WQ, Zhang HS, Tian Y, Cao Z, Li Y, Ren H, Zhang CM, Li L, Chen S, Xi JZ*, Yu L*. (2012) Clathrin and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate regulate autophagic lysosome reformation. Nature Cell Biology, 14(9):924-934.