LC3-associated phagocytosis at a glance

Classically, canonical autophagy has been considered a survival mechanism initiated in response to nutrient insufficiency. We now understand that autophagy functions in multiple scenarios where it is necessary to maintain homeostasis. Recent evidence has established that a variety of non-canonical functions for autophagy proteins are mechanistically and functionally distinct from autophagy. LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) is one such novel function for autophagy proteins and is a contributor to immune regulation and inflammatory responses across various cell and tissue types. Characterized by the conjugation of LC3 family proteins to phagosome membranes, LAP uses a portion of the canonical autophagy machinery, following ligation of surface receptors that recognize a variety of cargos including pathogens, dying cells, soluble ligands and protein aggregates. However, instead of affecting canonical autophagy, manipulation of the LAP pathway in vivo alters immune activation and inflammatory responses. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we detail the divergence of this distinctive mechanism from that of canonical autophagy by comparing and contrasting shared and unique components of each pathway.