Autophagy is an intracellular process for vacuolar bulk degradation of cytoplasmic components. The molecular machinery responsible for @entity375 and @entity1 autophagy has recently begun to be elucidated at the cellular level, but the role that autophagy plays at the organismal level has yet to be determined. In this study, a genome-wide search revealed significant conservation between @entity375 and plant autophagy genes. Twenty-five plant genes that are homologous to 12 @entity375 genes essential for autophagy were discovered. We identified an @entity958 mutant carrying a T-DNA insertion within @entity68944 , which is the only ortholog of @entity375 @entity44647 in @entity958 ( @entity68944 -1). @entity68944 is transcribed in every wild-type organ tested but not in the @entity68944 -1 mutant. Under @entity1568 or @entity505 -starvation conditions, @entity24194 was observed earlier in @entity68944 -1 cotyledons and rosette leaves compared with wild-type plants. Furthermore, @entity68944 -1 exhibited a reduction in seed set when @entity1568 starved. Even under nutrient growth conditions, bolting and natural leaf senescence were accelerated in @entity68944 -1 plants. Senescence-associated genes @entity12330 and YSL4 were up-regulated in @entity68944 -1 before induction of senescence, unlike in wild type. All of these phenotypes were complemented by the expression of wild-type @entity68944 in @entity68944 -1 plants. These results imply that autophagy is required for maintenance of the cellular viability under nutrient-limited conditions and for efficient nutrient use as a whole plant.

Leaf senescence and starvation-induced XXXX are accelerated by the disruption of an @entity958 autophagy gene.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['mammalian'] @entity1568 :: ('MESH:D009584', 'Chemical') :: ['nitrogen'] @entity24194 :: ('MESH:D000747', 'Disease') :: ['chlorosis'] @entity12330 :: ('851150(Tax:4932)', 'Gene') :: ['SEN1'] @entity958 :: ('3702', 'Species') :: ['Arabidopsis'] @entity44647 :: ('851406(Tax:4932)', 'Gene') :: ['Apg9'] @entity68944 :: ('817683(Tax:3702)', 'Gene') :: ['AtAPG9', 'atapg9'] @entity505 :: ('MESH:D002244', 'Chemical') :: ['carbon'] @entity375 :: ('4932', 'Species') :: ['yeast']
@entity24194 :: (MESH:D000747,Disease) :: ['chlorosis']
