Autophagy and apoptosis play important roles in the development and cellular homeostasis of eukaryotes. Apoptotic cell death is termed type I programmed cell death. Autophagy regulates both cell survival and cell death. While increased numbers of autophagosomes can be associated with cell death (called type II programmed cell death), it is often unclear if this association is causal. Recent data have revealed possible molecular mechanisms for crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. Atg5, previously considered to be an autophagy-specific gene involved in autophagosome precursor expansion and completion through an ubiquitin-like conjugation system, now appears to be an important mediator of apoptosis. Atg5 can be cleaved following death stimuli, and the cleavage product appears to promote mitochondriamediated apoptosis. Bcl-2, the well-characterised apoptosis guard, appears to be important in autophagy, as it binds to