Abstract
Zonda is a novel early component of the autophagy pathway in Drosophila by Pablo Wappner
A novel Drosophila immunophilin, which we have named Zonda, is critically required for starvation-induced autophagy. Zonda operates at early stages of autophagy, being specifically required for Vps34-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) deposition. Zonda displays an even distribution under basal conditions, and soon after starvation nucleates in endoplasmic reticulum-associated foci that colocalize with omegasome markers. Zonda nucleation depends on Atg1, Atg13 and Atg17 but does not require Vps34, Vps15, Atg6 or Atg14. Zonda interacts physically with ATG1 through its kinase domain, as well as with ATG6 and Vps34. We propose that Zonda is an early component of the autophagy cascade necessary for Vps34-dependent PI3P deposition and omegasome formation.