Figure 4.

PIs regulate scaffolding complexes in autophagy. During the maturation of autophagosomes, the fusion between autophagosomes and lysosomes, and the reformation of lysosomes after degradation, membrane PIs play vital roles in recruiting specific scaffolding complexes to mediate lipid transfer, vesicle transport, and membrane tethering. The most important PI species in autophagy are PI(3)P and PI(4)P, as they anchor multiple crucial complexes in different steps of autophagy, while PI(5)P and PI(4,5)P₂ also have unique roles. Figure created with biorender.com.