Beclin1

Beclin 1, also named Atg6, is highly conserved in eukaryotes and belongs to theautophagy-related (Atg) family of proteins. Beclin 1 is a well-established regulator of autophagy, a process essential for mammalian survival. Beclin 1 performs both of its autophagy and membrane trafficking functions by interacting with several other proteins—primarily vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 15 (VPS15), VPS34, UV radiation resistance-associated gene product (UVRAG), and autophagy-related protein 14 (ATG14). Together, these assemble into two different Class III PI3K complexes, Complex 1 (C1) and Complex 2 (C2), depending on whether ATG14 or UVRAG respectively is present. Within these complexes, the catalytic lipid kinase subunit, VSP34, is responsible for the phosphorylation of PtdIns, which then mediates autophagy and/or membrane trafficking functions through the recruitment of effector proteins.