Biology:BECN1

From HandWiki
Short description: Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens


A representation of the 3D structure of the protein myoglobin showing turquoise α-helices.
Generic protein structure example

Beclin-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BECN1 gene.[1][2] Beclin-1 is a mammalian ortholog of the yeast autophagy-related gene 6 (Atg6)  and BEC-1 in the C. elegans nematode.[3] 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.[4] Ovarian cancer with upregulated autophagy has a less aggressive behavior and is more responsive to chemotherapy.[5]

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.[6]

Interactions

BECN1 has been shown to interact with:

Modulators

Trehalose
Trehalose reduces p62/Beclin-1 ratio and increases autophagy in the frontal cortex of ICR mice, possibly by increasing Beclin-1.[10]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Protection against fatal Sindbis virus encephalitis by beclin, a novel Bcl-2-interacting protein". Journal of Virology 72 (11): 8586–96. November 1998. doi:10.1128/JVI.72.11.8586-8596.1998. PMID 9765397. 
  2. "Entrez Gene: BECN1 beclin 1 (coiled-coil, myosin-like BCL2 interacting protein)". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=gene&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=8678. 
  3. "Inactivation of the autophagy gene bec-1 triggers apoptotic cell death in C. elegans". Current Biology 15 (16): 1513–7. August 2005. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2005.07.035. PMID 16111945. 
  4. "Distinct regulation of autophagic activity by Atg14L and Rubicon associated with Beclin 1-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase complex". Nature Cell Biology 11 (4): 468–76. April 2009. doi:10.1038/ncb1854. PMID 19270693. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Expression and clinical significance of the autophagy proteins BECLIN 1 and LC3 in ovarian cancer". BioMed Research International 2014: 462658. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/462658. PMID 25136588. 
  6. "Autophagy has a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia". Molecular Psychiatry 20 (1): 126–32. February 2015. doi:10.1038/mp.2013.174. PMID 24365867. *Lay summary in: "New molecular discovery provides clues to cause of schizophrenia". January 1, 2014. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270725.php. 
  7. "Differential interactions between Beclin 1 and Bcl-2 family members". Autophagy 3 (6): 561–8. 2007. doi:10.4161/auto.4713. PMID 17643073. 
  8. "A novel protein complex linking the delta 2 glutamate receptor and autophagy: implications for neurodegeneration in lurcher mice". Neuron 35 (5): 921–33. August 2002. doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00861-9. PMID 12372286. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 Chang, Chunmei; Young, Lindsey N.; Morris, Kyle L.; von Bülow, Sören; Schöneberg, Johannes; Yamamoto-Imoto, Hitomi; Oe, Yukako; Yamamoto, Kentaro et al. (2019-01-17). "Bidirectional Control of Autophagy by BECN1 BARA Domain Dynamics". Molecular Cell 73 (2): 339–353.e6. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2018.10.035. ISSN 1097-4164. PMID 30581147. 
  10. "Trehalose induced antidepressant-like effects and autophagy enhancement in mice". Psychopharmacology 229 (2): 367–75. September 2013. doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3119-4. PMID 23644913. 

Further reading

External links