RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Autophagy is required for lipid homeostasis during dark-induced senescence in Arabidopsis JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 2020.08.10.245092 DO 10.1101/2020.08.10.245092 A1 Barros, Jessica A. S. A1 Magen, Sahar A1 Lapidot-Cohen, Taly A1 Rosental, Leah A1 Brotman, Yariv A1 Araújo, Wagner L. A1 Avin-Wittenberg, Tamar YR 2020 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/10/23/2020.08.10.245092.abstract AB Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that mediates the degradation of cytoplasmic components in eukaryotic cells. In plants, autophagy has been extensively associated with the recycling of proteins during carbon starvation conditions. Even though lipids constitute a significant energy reserve, our understanding of the function of autophagy in the management of cell lipid reserves and components remains fragmented. To further investigate the significance of autophagy in lipid metabolism, we performed an extensive lipidomic characterization of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) autophagy mutants (atg) submitted to dark-induced senescence conditions. Our results revealed an altered lipid profile in atg mutants, suggesting that autophagy affects the homeostasis of multiple lipid components under dark-induced senescence. The acute degradation of chloroplast lipids coupled with the differential accumulation of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and plastoglobuli indicates an alternative metabolic reprogramming towards lipid storage in atg mutants. The imbalance of lipid metabolism compromises the production of cytosolic lipid droplets and the regulation of peroxisomal lipid oxidation pathways in atg mutants.One-sentence summary Autophagy is required for the mobilization of membrane lipid components and lipid droplet dynamics during extended darkness in Arabidopsis.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.