ULK3

ULK3 diverges from ULK1 and ULK2 by functioning chiefly outside canonical autophagy initiation. It is a positive regulator of Sonic hedgehog signaling: ULK3 binds Suppressor of Fused and the Gli proteins and is required for activation of Gli target genes, and its overexpression drives Hedgehog-dependent proliferation in medulloblastoma models. ULK3 also participates in ciliogenesis, DNA-damage responses and, in some contexts, autophagy induction under stress. Expression is prominent during neural development and in adult brain. Because ULK3 links a kinase module to developmental signaling rather than to the core autophagy machinery, recombinant ULK3 is valuable for dissecting pathway-specific ULK-family functions.