Finding. Atg11 grabs Atg9 with a positively charged pocket on a Z-shaped N-terminal domain. The pocket is the binding site; the C-terminus of Atg11 clusters those N-termini so the grip is complete. Mutate the conserved pocket and Atg9 binding dies in yeast, and selective autophagy of mitochondria falls. The first autophagosomal membrane, the Atg9 vesicle, has a named docking patch on the selective-autophagy scaffold.
Why this paper matters
Everyone knew Atg11 recruits Atg9, and that Atg9’s disordered N-terminus carries hydrophobic residues for the job. Nobody had the Atg11 side as a structure. A basic pocket you can mutate is a handle, and they used it on mitochondria as cargo.
This is initiation geometry, not a new mitophagy receptor.
What they actually measured
Binding splits (NTD versus clustered NTD), cryo-EM plus AlphaFold of the NTD, pocket mutants, yeast Atg9 binding, mitochondrial selective autophagy.
How to read the score
Low-to-mid seventies. Structure plus mitophagy phenotype. Confidence is medium. Score 74.
What to do with it
If you work on Atg9 vesicles, selective autophagy, or mitophagy initiation, pull the pocket mutants. Do not treat this as a Parkin-pathway paper. The directional implication is that Atg11 clusters a basic NTD pocket to dock Atg9 at cargo, mitochondria included.