Abstract
We have recently shown the roles of an autophagy gene in the regulation of metabolism and metabolic diseases. We identified Becn2/Beclin 2, a novel mammalian specific homolog of Becn1/Beclin 1, characterized the functions of the gene product in autophagy and downregulation of a subset of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and proposed a model of dual functions of BECN2 in these 2 lysosomal degradation pathways. Further analyses revealed that knockout of Becn2 dramatically decreases embryonic survival in homozygotes, and leads to metabolic dysregulation in heterozygotes, which is likely caused by disruption of GPCR signaling. Here, we report that in addition to GPCRs, BECN2 is also essential for agonist-induced lysosome-mediated degradation of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) in lung cancer cells. This finding suggests that besides autophagy and GPCR degradation, BECN2 may play a role in the regulation of a broader spectrum of intracellular signaling pathways.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 938-941 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Autophagy |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 20 2014 |
Keywords
- Autophagy
- BECN2/Beclin 2
- EGFR
- GPCR
- Lysosome
- Metabolism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology