PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sahni, Sumit AU - Merlot, Angelica M AU - Krishan, Sukriti AU - Jansson, Patric J AU - Richardson, Des R TI - Gene of the month: <em>BECN1</em> AID - 10.1136/jclinpath-2014-202356 DP - 2014 Aug 01 TA - Journal of Clinical Pathology PG - 656--660 VI - 67 IP - 8 4099 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/67/8/656.short 4100 - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/67/8/656.full SO - J Clin Pathol2014 Aug 01; 67 AB - The BECN1 gene encodes the Beclin-1 protein, which is a well-established regulator of the autophagic pathway. It is a mammalian orthologue of the ATG6 gene in yeast and was one of the first identified mammalian autophagy-associated genes. Beclin-1 interacts with a number of binding partners in the cell which can lead to either activation (eg, via PI3KC3/Vps34, Ambra 1, UV radiation resistance-associated gene) or inhibition (eg, via Bcl-2, Rubicon) of the autophagic pathway. Apart from its role as a regulator of autophagy, it is also shown to effect important biological processes in the cell such as apoptosis and embryogenesis. Beclin-1 has also been implicated to play a critical role in the pathology of a variety of disease states including cancer, neurological disorders (eg, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease) and viral infections. Thus, understanding the functions of Beclin-1 and its interactions with other cellular components will aid in its development as an important therapeutic target for future drug development.