ER exit sites are physical and functional core autophagosome biogenesis components

Autophagy is a central homeostasis and stress response pathway conserved in all eukaryotes. One hallmark of autophagy is the de novo formation of autophagosomes. These double-membrane vesicular structures form around and deliver cargo for degradation by the vacuole/lysosome. Where and how autophagosomes form are outstanding questions. Here we show, using proteomic, cytological, and functional analyses, that autophagosomes are spatially, physically, and functionally linked to endoplasmic reticulum exit sites (ERES), which are specialized regions of the endoplasmic reticulum where COPII transport vesicles are generated. Our data demonstrate that ERES are core autophagosomal biogenesis components whose function is required for the hierarchical assembly of the autophagy machinery immediately downstream of the Atg1 kinase complex at phagophore assembly sites.