The accumulation of autophagosomes in postischemic kidneys may be renoprotective, but
whether this accumulation results from the induction of autophagy or from obstruction within
the autophagic process is unknown. Utilizing the differential pH sensitivities of red
fluorescent protein (RFP; pK a 4.5) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP; pK a
5.9), we generated CAG-RFP-EGFP-LC3 mice to distinguish early autophagic vacuoles from
autolysosomes. In vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that in response to nutrient deprivation …