Beclin-1 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''BECN1''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Beclin-1 is a mammalian
ortholog of the yeast autophagy-related gene 6 (Atg6) and BEC-1 in the
C. elegans nematode
The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...
.
This protein interacts with either
BCL-2 or
PI3k class III, playing a critical role in the regulation of both
autophagy
Autophagy (or autophagocytosis; from the Greek language, Greek , , meaning "self-devouring" and , , meaning "hollow") is the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through a lysosome-depe ...
and
cell death.
Role in disease
Beclin-1 plays an important role in
tumorigenesis, and
neurodegeneration
A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their cell death, death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sc ...
, being implicated in the
autophagic programmed cell death
Programmed cell death (PCD) sometimes referred to as cell, or cellular suicide is the death of a cell (biology), cell as a result of events inside of a cell, such as apoptosis or autophagy. PCD is carried out in a biological process, which usual ...
.
with upregulated
autophagy
Autophagy (or autophagocytosis; from the Greek language, Greek , , meaning "self-devouring" and , , meaning "hollow") is the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through a lysosome-depe ...
has a less aggressive behavior and is more responsive to chemotherapy.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
is associated with low levels of Beclin-1 in the hippocampus of those affected, which causes diminished
autophagy
Autophagy (or autophagocytosis; from the Greek language, Greek , , meaning "self-devouring" and , , meaning "hollow") is the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through a lysosome-depe ...
which in turn results in increased neuronal cell death.
[*]
Interactions
BECN1 has been shown to
interact with:
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Bcl-2
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BCL2L2
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GOPC
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MAP1LC3A
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Rubicon
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UVRAG
Modulators
;Trehalose:
Trehalose reduces p62/Beclin-1 ratio and increases
autophagy
Autophagy (or autophagocytosis; from the Greek language, Greek , , meaning "self-devouring" and , , meaning "hollow") is the natural, conserved degradation of the cell that removes unnecessary or dysfunctional components through a lysosome-depe ...
in the frontal cortex of ICR mice, possibly by increasing Beclin-1.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{PDB Gallery, geneid=8678
Genes
Human proteins