Microautophagy

Microautophagy (unlike Macroautophagy and Chaperone-mediated autophagy) is the type of autophagic pathway which is mediated by direct lysosomal (mammals) or vacuolar (plants and fungi) engulfment of the cytoplasmic cargo. Cytoplasmic material is trapped in the lysosome/vacuole by the random process of membrane invagination. Microautophagic pathway is especially important for survival of cells under starvation, nitrogen deprivation or after treatment with rapamycin. Microautophagy generally is a non-selective process but there are 3 special cases of selective microautophagic pathway (micropexophagy, Piecemeal microautophagy of the nucleus, micromitophagy) which are activated under a specific conditions.