Characterization of Constitutive macro-ER-phagy

Abstract Thirty percent of all cellular proteins are inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which spans throughout the cytoplasm. Two well-established stress-induced pathways ensure quality control (QC) at the ER: ER-phagy and ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which shuttle cargo for degradation to the lysosome and proteasome, respectively. In contrast, not much is known about constitutive ER-phagy. We have previously reported that excess of integral-membrane proteins is delivered from the ER to the lysosome via autophagy during normal growth of yeast cells. Here, we characterize this pathway as constitutive ER-phagy. Constitutive and stress-induced ER-phagy share the basic macro-autophagy machinery including the conserved Atgs and Ypt1 GTPase. However, induction of stress-induced autophagy is not needed for constitutive ER-phagy to occur. Moreover, the selective receptors needed for starvation-induced ER-phagy, Atg39 and Atg40, are not required for constitutive ER-phagy and neither these receptors nor their cargos are delivered through it to the vacuole. As for ERAD, while constitutive ER-phagy recognizes cargo different from that recognized by ERAD, these two ER-QC pathways can partially substitute for each other. Because accumulation of membrane proteins is associated with disease, and constitutive ER-phagy players are conserved from yeast to mammalian cells, this process could be critical for human health. Author Summary Accumulation of excess proteins can lead to their aggregation, which in turn can cause multiple disorders, notably neurodegenerative disease. Nutritional and endoplasmic-reticulum (ER) stress stimulate autophagy and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) to clear excess and misfolded proteins, respectively. However, not much is known about clearance of excess proteins during normal growth. We have previously shown that excess integral-membrane proteins are cleared from the ER by macro-autophagy during normal growth of yeast cells. Here we characterize this pathway as constitutive ER-phagy. While this pathway shares machinery of core Atgs and autophagosomes with nutritional stress-induced ER-phagy, it differs from the latter: It is independent of the stress response and of receptors needed for stress-induced ER-phagy, and while stress-induced ER-phagy is not discriminatory, constitutive ER-phagy has specific cargos. However, when constitutive ER-phagy fails, machinery specific to stress-induced ER-phagy can process its cargo. Moreover, constitutive ER-phagy is also not dependent on ER-stress or the unfolded protein response (UPR) stimulated by this stress, although its failure elicits UPR. Finally, constitutive ER-phagy and ERAD can partially process each other’s cargo upon failure. In summary, constitutive ER-phagy, which clears excess integral-membrane proteins from the ER during normal growth does not require nutritional or ER stress for its function.