Re‑wiring Autophagy Substrate Priority via Redox‑Sensitive Receptor Phosphorylation Restores Club Cell Regeneration

Hypothesis

In aged airway club cells, a redox‑dependent shift in the phosphorylation state of autophagy receptors reroutes limited LC3‑II pools toward mitophagy at the expense of aggrephagy and lipophagy. Restoring the basal phosphorylation pattern rebalances substrate hierarchy, clears toxic aggregates and lipid droplets, and rescues progenitor proliferative capacity.

Mechanistic Basis

Aging club cells experience declining CYP450 activity and mitochondrial electron‑transport chain inefficiency, which elevate H2O2 and superoxide levels (CYP450 oxidative damage; Mitochondrial ROS leakage). Oxidative stress activates stress‑activated kinases (e.g., JNK, p38) that phosphorylate the LC3‑interacting region (LIR) of the mitophagy receptor NIX/BNIP3L, increasing its affinity for LC3‑II. Concurrently, the same kinases phosphorylate p62 and the lipophagy receptor LC3‑interacting protein (LC3‑IP) at sites that diminish their LIR strength. Because LC3‑II is a finite cargo‑adaptor platform, phosphorylated NIX outcompetes p62 and LC3‑IP, creating a competitive bottleneck that starves aggrephagy and lipophagy (p62 accumulation in progenitors). The resulting buildup of ubiquitinated proteins and lipid droplets activates p16^INK4a^‑dependent senescence and depletes the Scgb1a1^+^ progenitor pool needed for epithelial repair after injury (Club cell loss in COPD; Autophagy dysfunction and senescence). Notably, CYP450 enzymes themselves undergo oxidative post‑translational modifications that further impair xenobiotic detoxification, amplifying mitochondrial ROS and locking the cell into a mitophagy‑dominant state (CYP450 post‑translational modification).

Testable Predictions

1. Phosphomimetic mutants of NIX (e.g., S*→D) will increase mitophagy flux but decrease p62‑dependent aggrephagy and lipid droplet turnover in young club cells, mimicking the aged phenotype.
2. Expressing a phospho‑deficient p62 mutant (e.g., S*→A) or a LC3‑IP variant with enhanced LIR affinity will rescue aggrephagy and lipophagy despite high mitophagy demand, reducing p62^+^ inclusions and lipid droplets in aged club cells.
3. Pharmacological inhibition of JNK/p38 in aged mouse airway epithelia will normalize receptor phosphorylation profiles, increase LC3‑II availability for aggrephagy/lipophagy, and improve Scgb1a1^+^ cell proliferation following naphthalene‑induced injury.
4. Metabolite supplementation that boosts NAD^+ (e.g., NR) will activate SIRT1‑mediated dephosphorylation of NIX and p62, rebalancing autophagy substrate priority and attenuating senescence markers.

Potential Experimental Approaches

• Generate conditional club‑cell‑specific knock‑in mice expressing phosphomimetic or phospho‑deficient NIX, p62, or LC3‑IP alleles; assess LC3‑II flux using tandem fluorescent‑tagged LC3 reporters, measure p62^+^ aggregates via immunofluorescence, and quantify lipid droplets with BODIPY staining.
• Perform primary human airway club‑cell cultures from young and aged donors; treat with JNK/p38 inhibitors or NAD^+ precursors, then probe receptor phosphorylation by phospho‑specific Western blot and autophagic flux via mCherry‑GFP‑LC3 assay.
• Use mass‑spectrometry‑based phosphoproteomics on isolated Scgb1a1^+^ cells to identify redox‑sensitive LIR sites altered with age.
• Functional readouts: colony‑forming efficiency, EdU incorporation after injury, and measurement of airway resistance in vivo.

If these predictions hold, the data would demonstrate that age‑related regenerative failure stems not from a global autophagy deficit but from a maladaptive substrate hierarchy driven by redox‑sensitive receptor phosphorylation. Correcting this hierarchy would offer a targeted strategy to restore club‑cell mediated lung repair.