This domain is found in the autophagy-related proteins ATG17 and ATG11, conserved across eukaryotes [1,2]. ATG17 forms a complex with ATG29 and ATG31, critical for both PAS (preautophagosomal structure) formation and autophagy. Together with ATG13, it is required for ATG1 kinase activation [2,3]. ATG11 is a scaffold protein required for the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway during starvation and to recruit ATG proteins to the pre-autophagosome. It is also required for ATG1 kinase activation. In many eukaryotes, ATG11 (the orthologue in mammals is RB1-inducible coiled-coil protein 1 (RB1CC1) and in S. pombe is Taz1-interacting factor 1 (taf1)) is essential for bulk autophagy, except in S.cerevisiae [2]. ATG17 and ATG11 are large similar proteins, both predicted to be almost entirely helical, containing conserved coiled-coil regions and lack obvious functional motifs [2,3].

1: Autophagy in yeast: mechanistic insights and physiological function. Abeliovich H, Klionsky DJ; Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2001;65:463-479. PMID:11528006

2: Atg1 kinase in fission yeast is activated by Atg11-mediated dimerization and cis-autophosphorylation. Pan ZQ, Shao GC, Liu XM, Chen Q, Dong MQ, Du LL; Elife. 2020; [Epub ahead of print] PMID:32909946

3: Architecture of the Atg17 complex as a scaffold for autophagosome biogenesis. Ragusa MJ, Stanley RE, Hurley JH; Cell. 2012;151:1501-1512. PMID:23219485