The expanding Roles of Autophagy in Epithelial Development: Mechanisms From Morphogenesis to Metabolic Programming and Tissue Adaptation

Epithelial tissues undergo complex developmental transitions that require precise regulation of membrane remodeling, cellular metabolism, and gene expression. In this talk, I will present our recent work uncovering distinct roles for autophagy pathways in orchestrating epithelial morphogenesis and neonatal intestinal maturation. We identify a noncanonical autophagy mechanism involving the V-ATPase/ATG16L1 axis that coordinates membrane recycling and lumen resolution during early epithelial organization. In parallel, we show that autophagy modulates redox homeostasis and transcriptional control in neonatal intestinal epithelial cells, ensuring proper timing of metabolic transitions. Together, these findings highlight autophagy as a versatile and essential regulator of epithelial tissue development.