Beclin1

Beclin1 is a core, evolutionarily conserved protein required for initiating autophagosome formation. Its activity is normally restrained by binding to the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2; displacement of Bcl-2 from Beclin1 — whether by competing binding partners or by phosphorylation (e.g., at Ser15) — frees Beclin1 to promote autophagy induction, including the protective, drug-resistance-associated autophagy described in cancer cells.