Fig. 2.

Possible mechanism of ULK1/Atg1 complex activation by clustering during selective autophagy. The ULK1/Atg1 complex is recruited and clustered by the cargo receptor and positioned between the cargo and the vacuole/ER membrane. Under this condition, ULK1/Atg1 molecules are protected by the inhibitory signals of TORC1 and at the same time are close enough to each other for auto-phosphorylation and thus activation.