Macroautophagy is the major inducible pathway for the general turnover of cytoplasmic constituents in eukaryotic cells, it is also responsible for the degradation of active cytoplasmic enzymes and organelles during nutrient starvation. Macroautophagy involves the formation of double-membrane bound autophagosomes which enclose the cytoplasmic constituent targeted for degradation in a membrane bound structure, which then fuse with the lysosome (or vacuole) releasing a single-membrane bound autophagic bodies which are then degraded within the lysosome (or vacuole). Beclin 1 plays a role in two fundamentally important cell biological pathways: autophagy and apoptosis. Beclin 1 is thought to function as a VPS and autophagy protein as part of a complex with Class III PI3 kinase, Vps34.

HUMAN

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