The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important part of eukaryotic cells (the type of cells that make up every living thing other than bacteria or viruses, including humans). They are a mass of tubes connected to the nucleus of the cell; the production of both proteins and lipids occur in the networks of the ER. For this organelle to properly function, cells routinely degrade portions of the ER so that it can be renewed. This process is called ER autophagy, or ER-phagy, where a structure called an “isolation membrane” expands and closes up to form an “autophagosome.” The closure isolates various cellular materials including the ER within the autophagosome, which then transports the waste away for degradation.
Click here for original story, Protein Atg40 folds the endoplasmic reticulum to facilitate its autophagy, study finds
Source: Phys.org