Anti-ATG4A Antibody Picoband® Fluoro488 Conjugated

Cysteine protease ATG4A is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ATG4A gene. It is mapped to Xq22.3. Autophagy is the process by which endogenous proteins and damaged organelles are destroyed intracellularly. Autophagy is postulated to be essential for cell homeostasis and cell remodeling during differentiation, metamorphosis, non-apoptotic cell death, and aging. Reduced levels of autophagy have been described in some malignant tumors, and a role for autophagy in controlling the unregulated cell growth linked to cancer has been proposed. This gene encodes a member of the autophagin protein family. The encoded protein is also designated as a member of the C-54 family of cysteine proteases.

Cysteine protease ATG4A; AUT-like 2 cysteine endopeptidase; Autophagin-2; Autophagy-related cysteine endopeptidase 2; Autophagy-related protein 4 homolog A; hAPG4A; ATG4A; APG4A; AUTL2

Cysteine protease required for the cytoplasm to vacuole transport (Cvt) and autophagy. Cleaves the C-terminal amino acid of ATG8 family proteins to reveal a C-terminal glycine. Exposure of the glycine at the C-terminus is essential for ATG8 proteins conjugation to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and insertion to membranes, which is necessary for autophagy. Preferred substrate is GABARAPL2 followed by MAP1LC3A and GABARAP. Has also an activity of delipidating enzyme for the PE-conjugated forms.

1. Marino, G., Uria, J. A., Puente, X. S., Quesada, V., Bordallo, J., Lopez-Otin, C. Human autophagins, a family of cysteine proteinases potentially implicated in cell degradation by autophagy. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 3671-3678, 2003. Note: Retraction: J. Biol. Chem. 294: 1431 only, 2019.