Figure 8.

A proposed model for the selective autophagic degradation of ACLY and oocyte maturation regulated by citrate metabolism. During the oocyte maturation process, autophagy in granulosa cells was highly activated to selectively degrade K63-linked ubiquitinated ACLY in an SQSTM1-dependent manner, which further raises the concentration of citrate and promotes mouse oocyte maturation. The citrate concentration in human follicular fluid was negatively correlated with age, while porcine follicles with higher citrate levels had a correspondingly higher oocyte maturation rate.