Together with sugars and proteins, lipids constitute the main carbon reserves in plants. Lipids are selectively recycled and catabolized for energy production during development and in response to environmental stresses. Autophagy is a major catabolic pathway, operating in the recycling of cellular components in eukaryotes. Although the autophagic degradation of lipids has been mainly characterized in mammals and yeast, growing evidence has highlighted the role of autophagy in several aspects of lipid metabolism in plants. Here, we summarize recent findings focusing on autophagy functions in lipid droplet (LD) metabolism. We further provide novel insights regarding the relevance of autophagy in the maintenance and clearance of mitochondria and peroxisomes and its consequences for proper lipid usage and energy homeostasis in plants.

脂质与糖和蛋白质一起构成植物中主要的碳储备。在开发过程中以及响应环境压力时，脂质被选择性地回收利用和分解代谢以产生能量。自噬是主要的分解代谢途径，在真核生物中细胞成分的回收中发挥作用。尽管脂质的自噬降解主要表现在哺乳动物和酵母中，但越来越多的证据凸显了自噬在植物脂质代谢的多个方面的作用。在这里，我们总结了最近的发现，这些发现集中于脂质滴（LD）代谢中的自噬功能。我们进一步提供有关自噬在维持和清除线粒体和过氧化物酶体中的相关性及其对适当使用脂质和植物体内能量稳态的影响的新颖见解。