LC3 Interacting Regions (LIRs), also known as ATG8-interacting motifs (AIMs), are short-linear motifs (SLiMs) of autophagy receptors and adaptor proteins that facilitates the selective recruitment of autophagy substrates to the autophagosome. LIRs are characterised by degenerated sequences with a four-residue core central sequence involved in ATG8-binding, with the W/Y/FxxL/I/V pattern. Based on the aromatic amino acid in position 1 they can be classified into W-type, Y-type and F-type [1]. This entry includes three conserved LIR motifs of CADHs, which two are Y-type (YDxL/I) and one F-type (FKKL), while a fourth LIR (YGGV) is only present in CADH6 members [2]. Cadherins (CADH) have a crucial role in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), involved in migration properties of tumour cells. CADH6 is an EMT marker in thyroid cancer that interacts with the ATG8 family members GABARAP, BNIP3 and BNIP3L restraining autophagy through LIR domains, a common feature among many cadherin family members [2].

1: Structure and Dynamics in the ATG8 Family From Experimental to Computational Techniques. Sora V, Kumar M, Maiani E, Lambrughi M, Tiberti M, Papaleo E; Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020;8:420. PMID:32587856

2: Cadherin-6 promotes EMT and cancer metastasis by restraining autophagy. Gugnoni M, Sancisi V, Gandolfi G, Manzotti G, Ragazzi M, Giordano D, Tamagnini I, Tigano M, Frasoldati A, Piana S, Ciarrocchi A; Oncogene. 2017;36:667-677. PMID:27375021