Summary
Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway essential for neuronal health and function. Autophagosome biogenesis occurs at synapses, is locally regulated and increases in response to neuronal activity. The mechanisms that couple autophagosome biogenesis to synaptic activity remain unknown. In this study we determine that trafficking of ATG-9, the only transmembrane protein in the core autophagy pathway, links the synaptic vesicle cycle with autophagy. ATG-9 positive vesicles in C. elegans are generated from the trans-Golgi network via AP3-dependent budding, and delivered to presynaptic sites. At presynaptic sites, ATG-9 undergoes exo-endocytosis in an activity-dependent manner. Mutations that disrupt endocytosis, including one associated with Parkinson’s disease, result in abnormal ATG-9 accumulation at clathrin-rich synaptic foci and defects in activity-dependent presynaptic autophagy. Our findings uncover regulated key steps of ATG-9 trafficking at presynaptic sites, and provide evidence that ATG-9 exo-endocytosis couples autophagosome biogenesis at presynaptic sites with the activity-dependent synaptic vesicle cycle.
Highlights
In C. elegans, ATG-9 is delivered to presynaptic sites in vesicles generated from the trans-Golgi network via AP-3-dependent budding
ATG-9 vesicles undergo activity-dependent exo-endocytosis at presynaptic sites
Mutations in endocytic proteins, including a mutation associated with Parkinson’s disease, result in abnormal ATG-9 accumulation at clathrin-rich foci
Abnormal accumulation of ATG-9 at clathrin-rich foci is associated with defects in activity-dependent presynaptic autophagy
Competing Interest Statement
P.D.C. is a member of the scientific advisory board of Casma Therapeutics.