| Type: | Domain | Name: | Autophagy-related protein 3 |
| Description: | Proteins in this entry belong to the Atg3 group of proteins and the Atg3 conjugation enzymes.Autophagy is a degradative transport pathway that delivers cytosolic proteins to the lysosome (vacuole) [] and is induced by starvation []. Cytosolic proteins appear inside the vacuole enclosed in autophagic vesicles. Autophagy significantly differs from other transport pathways by using double membrane layered transport intermediates, called autophagosomes [, ]. The breakdown of vesicular transport intermediates is a unique feature of autophagy []. Autophagy can also function in the elimination of invading bacteria and antigens [].Atg3 is the E2 enzyme for the LC3 lipidation process []. It is essential for autophagocytosis. The super protein complex, the Atg16L complex, consists of multiple Atg12-Atg5 conjugates. Atg16L has an E3-like role in the LC3 lipidation reaction. The activated intermediate, LC3-Atg3 (E2), is recruited to the site where the lipidation takes place []. Atg3 catalyses the conjugation of Atg8 and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Atg3 has an alpha/beta-fold, and its core region is topologically similar to canonical E2 enzymes. Atg3 has two regions inserted in the core region and another with a long alpha-helical structure that protrudes from the core region as far as 30 A []. It interacts with atg8 through an intermediate thioester bond between Cys-288 and the C-terminal Gly of atg8. It also interacts with the C-terminal region of the E1-like atg7 enzyme.Autophagocytosis is a starvation-induced process responsible for transport of cytoplasmic proteins to the vacuole. The cysteine residue within the HPC motif is the putative active-site residue for recognition of the Apg5 subunit of the autophagosome complex []. | Short Name: | Autophagy-rel_prot_3 |
