Selective Autophagy (IMAGE) Japan Science and Technology Agency Caption Selective autophagy efficiently degrades liquid droplets Some dispersed proteins undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form liquid droplets. Liquid droplets possess high fluidity and are more similar to a liquid state than a solid state. It is known that liquid droplets lose their liquidity by mutation or stress and are transformed into aggregates and amyloids. Selective autophagy preferentially targets liquid droplets during which receptors accumulate on the surface of droplets and interacts with Atg8 on the isolation membrane (IM), thereby enabling the expansion of the IM along the surface of the droplets. On the other hand, selective autophagy is not good at degrading solid-like aggregates or dispersed proteins. Credit Institute of Microbial Chemistry Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.