ATG4C Antibody – Rabbit

Autophagy is the process by which endogenous proteins and damaged organelles are destroyed intracellularly. Autophagy is postulated to be essential for cell homeostasis and cell remodeling during differentiation, metamorphosis, non-apoptotic cell death, and aging. Reduced levels of autophagy have been described in some malignant tumors, and a role for autophagy in controlling the unregulated cell growth linked to cancer has been proposed. This gene encodes a member of the autophagin protein family. The encoded protein is also designated as a member of the C-54 family of cysteine proteases. Alternate transcriptional splice variants, encoding the same protein, have been characterized. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

ATG4C: Cysteine protease required for autophagy, which cleaves the C-terminal part of either MAP1LC3, GABARAPL2 or GABARAP, allowing the liberation of form I. A subpopulation of form I is subsequently converted to a smaller form (form II). Form II, with a revealed C-terminal glycine, is considered to be the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-conjugated form, and has the capacity for the binding to autophagosomes. Highly expressed in skeletal muscle, heart, liver and testis. Inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide. Belongs to the peptidase C54 family.

Protein type: EC 3.4.22.-; Protease; Autophagy; Ubiquitin conjugating system

Chromosomal Location of Human Ortholog: 1p31.3

Cellular Component: cytoplasm; extracellular region; cytosol

Molecular Function: peptidase activity; cysteine-type endopeptidase activity

Biological Process: protein delipidation; mitochondrion degradation; autophagy; protein processing; C-terminal protein lipidation; proteolysis; protein targeting to membrane; autophagic vacuole formation; cellular response to nitrogen starvation