Fig. 1.
From: Open questions: how do engineered nanomaterials affect our cells?
Autophagic response to engineered nanomaterials. Upon internalization, nanomaterials may escape the endocytic vesicle through disruptions of the endosomal membrane. Once in the cytoplasm, nanomaterials can be recognized by autophagy adaptors proteins or danger receptors that recruit isolation membranes. Elongation of the isolation membranes sequesters nanomaterials inside vesicles called autophagosomes, which fuse with lysosomes to form autolysosomes. Autolysosome formation may be followed by enzymatic degradation or secretion. The mechanism of autophagy activation in response to nanomaterials that remain within the endocytic pathway remains unclear