Figure 1.

Degradative and nondegradative functions of the LC3 conjugation system. In canonical autophagy and LAP, LC3-marked autophagosomes and phagosomes, respectively, are fused to the lysosome and degraded (left). In contrast, during the TAG process, the membranous shelters of pathogens (such as protists or +RNA viruses) are marked with LC3 homologs and membranolytic IFN-inducible GTPases are targeted to the LC3-marked membranes upon their induction by IFNs (right). Consequently, the GTPase-targeted membrane structures are disrupted and the survival/replication of pathogens without functional shelters is inhibited.