Entrez 8678 | Ensembl ENSG00000126581 | |
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Aliases BECN1, ATG6, VPS30, beclin1, beclin 1 External IDs MGI: 1891828 HomoloGene: 2794 GeneCards: BECN1 | ||
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.
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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 the affected which causes diminished autophagy which in turn results in increased neuronal cell death.
Interactions
BECN1 has been shown to interact with: