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. 2013 Mar;32(3):113–120. doi: 10.5732/cjc.012.10010

Figure 1. Multiple stages of autophagy and the involved molecular regulators.

Figure 1

Autophagy is stimulated by nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, cytokines, hormones, and DNA damage. The early stages of activation require ATG1 and ATG13, which in turn can be inhibited by mTOR. Vesicle nucleation depends on Beclin-1-class III PI3K-Vps15 core complexes and other proteins. Vesicle elongation and completion are mediated by the Atg16L complex and LC3. Docking and fusion refer to the maturation of autolysosomes and are promoted by Rab7, LAMP1, LAMP2, SKD1, Vtil 1b, and the ESCRT complex. In the last stage, autophagosomal cargoes are digested and then nutrients and energy are recycled.