Autophagy in Plant Health and Disease

Autophagy has emerged as an essential quality control pathway in plants that selectively and rapidly removes damaged or unwanted cellular components to maintain cellular homeostasis. It can recycle a broad range of cargoes, including entire organelles, protein aggregates, and even invading microbes. It involves the de novo biogenesis of a new cellular compartment, making it intimately linked to endomembrane trafficking pathways. Autophagy is induced by a wide range of biotic and abiotic stress factors, and autophagy mutant plants are highly sensitive to stress, making it an attractive target for improving plant stress resilience. Here, we critically discuss recent discoveries related to plant autophagy and highlight open questions and future research areas.