Models of Atg8 functional diversification beyond redundancy. Atg8 functional specialization (top). LIRs dictate which Atg8 homolog(s) are recruited, which in turn drives specific autophagic functions. Different functions for different Atg8s enable diverse autophagic processes to be invoked in different instances. Multifunctional LIRs (bottom). The evolution of Atg8 homologs expanded the diversity of the LIR sequence space, enabling the emergence of multifunctional LIRs.