UVRAG Antibody #5320

Autophagy is a catabolic process for the autophagosomic-lysosomal degradation of bulk cytoplasmic contents (1,2). It is generally activated by conditions of nutrient deprivation but has also been associated with a number of physiological processes including development, differentiation, neurodegeneration, infection and cancer (3). The molecular machinery of autophagy was largely discovered in yeast and referred to as autophagy-related (Atg) genes. These proteins are involved in the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles called autophagosomes that are delivered to lysosomes for degradation.The class III type phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3KC3)/Vps34 regulates vacuolar trafficking as well as autophagy (4,5). Multiple proteins have been shown to be associated with Vsp34, including: p105/Vsp15, Beclin-1, UVRAG, Atg14, and Rubicon, which can determine Vsp34 function (6-11). UVRAG (UV radiation resistance-associated gene) is associated with the Beclin-1/PI3KC3 complex and promotes PI3KC3 enzymatic activity and autophagy, while suppressing proliferation (11). Beclin-1 binding to UVRAG promotes both autophagosome maturation and endocytic trafficking (6). UVRAG is also a potential tumor suppressor protein with frameshift mutations observed in colon and gastric carcinomas (12,13).