Microtubule Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3 Gamma (MAP1LC3C)

Autophagy is a highly regulated bulk degradation process that plays an important role in cellular maintenance and development. MAP1LC3C is 1 of 3 orthologs of the yeast autophagosome protein Atg8. The deduced 147-amino acid protein shares 55% identity with rat Map1lc3. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.9-kb transcript expressed predominantly in placenta, lung, and ovary, with little to no expression in other tissues examined. Western blot analysis of transfected human embryonic kidney cells detected MAP1LC3C proteins of about 16 and 15.5 kD.MAP1LC3C underwent C-terminal cleavage after the conserved residue gly120. Gly120 was required for posttranslational modification of the MAP1LC3C protein.