The energy sensor SnRK1 promotes starvation-induced autophagosome formation by modulating ATG13a phosphorylation in Arabidopsis.

KIN10, the SnRK1 α-catalytic subunit in Arabidopsis thaliana, promotes starvation-driven autophagosome formation by phosphorylating ATG13a, increasing ATG13a abundance.

• Why it matters: Autophagy is linked to nutrient status, but how the plant energy sensor SnRK1 controls autophagosome formation was unclear.
• What they did: KIN10 was shown to interact with and phosphorylate ATG13a in vitro and in vivo, identifying 10 ATG13a serine residues required for this phosphorylation.
• The result: Plants expressing a nonphosphorylatable ATG13a variant with mutations at these 10 residues were less tolerant of starvation, showed accelerated leaf senescence, and had lower autophagic flux, while phosphorylation promoted ATG1a phosphorylation and autophagosome formation.

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