Headed by Dr Zhao Yanxiang, Assistant Professor of PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, a research team has recently discovered the molecular structure of a portion of the Beclin-1 protein that plays a crucial regulatory role in the “autophagy” cellular process. Published in Nature Communications, this breakthrough has paved the way for targeting “autophagy” as the potential treatment of cancer and other diseases.

The research sheds light on how this protein serves as a signal-sorting hub. Its atomic structure reveals that by interacting with different partners, Beclin-1 can modulate cellular autophagy activity and thus influence a cell’s survival or death. Details>>