Regulation of autophagy by phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate.

The simple phosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P) has been known to have important functions in endocytic and phagocytic traffic, and to be required for the autophagic pathway. In all of these settings, PI(3)P appears to create platforms that serve to recruit specific effectors for membrane trafficking events. In autophagy, PI(3)P may form the platform for autophagosome biogenesis.