Beclin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BECN1 gene. Beclin-1 is a mammalian ortholog of the yeast autophagy-related gene 6 (Atg6) and BEC-1 in the C. elegans nematode. This protein interacts with either BCL-2 or PI3k class III, playing a critical role in the regulation of both autophagy and cell death.
Role in disease Beclin-1 plays an important role in tumorigenesis, and neurodegeneration, being implicated in the autophagic programmed cell death. Ovarian cancer with upregulated autophagy has a less aggressive behavior and is more responsive to chemotherapy. Schizophrenia is associated with low levels of Beclin-1 in the hippocampus of those affected, which causes diminished autophagy which in turn results in increased neuronal cell death.
Interactions BECN1 has been shown to interact with:
Bcl-2 BCL2L2 GOPC MAP1LC3A Rubicon UVRAG
Modulators
Trehalose Trehalose reduces p62/Beclin-1 ratio and increases autophagy in the frontal cortex of ICR mice, possibly by increasing Beclin-1.
References
Further reading
External links Human BECN1 genome location and BECN1 gene details page in the UCSC Genome Browser. Overview of all the structural information available in the PDB for UniProt: Q14457 (Beclin-1) at the PDBe-KB.