Beclin 1, an autophagy and haploinsufficient tumor-suppressor protein, is frequently monoallelically deleted in breast and ovarian cancers. However, the precise mechanisms by which Beclin 1 inhibits tumor growth remain largely unknown.
A key biomarker of autophagy is Beclin-1. Beclin-1 stimulates LC3-I’s lipidation to produce LC3-II, which localizes to the autophagosome membrane to activate the development of autophagosomes.
-BECN1 = the official gene symbol (human gene name)
-Beclin-1 = the protein name encoded by the BECN1 gene
BECN1 - Beclin 1
Abbreviation: BECN1, Beclin 1
Alternative Names: ATG6, VPS30
Type: Autophagy regulator / class III PI3K complex component
Function: Beclin 1 is a core component of the VPS34/class III PI3K complex and promotes phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate production required for autophagosome nucleation and membrane trafficking.
Cancer: ↕ Context-dependent. Reduced BECN1 expression can contribute to tumor initiation and genomic instability, supporting a tumor-suppressive role in some tissues. However, established cancers can also exploit Beclin 1-dependent autophagy for survival under metabolic and therapeutic stress.
|