ATG18 — Magnaporthe oryzae 70-15

Summary

MGG_03139 (ATG18, MoATG18) in Magnaporthe oryzae 70-15 on chromosome 4 encodes a WD40-repeat-containing protein that binds phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and mediates protein bridging. It is associated with autophagy, including glycophagy, nucleophagy, mitophagy, and pexophagy, as well as glycogenolysis, protein transport, the DNA damage response, cell cycle progression, and protein phosphorylation. The gene product localises to the phagophore assembly site membrane, endosome membrane, vacuolar membrane, and cytosol. Phenotypic associations link ATG18 to abnormal or delayed autophagy, decreased adhesion and cell death, abnormal vacuolar distribution, altered respiratory and fermentative metabolism, decreased meiosis and chromosome segregation, and abnormal chitin deposition. Related genes in other species connect it to PROPPIN domain function and vacuolar transport pathways.