Beclin 1 is the first mammalian gene identified as a mediator of autophagy, and plays important roles in development, tumorigenesis, and neurodegeneration. Research with the beclin-1 antibody has revealed that, Beclin 1 is found in complex with the the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 under normal conditions, and must disassociate from the complex for macroautophagy to be induced in response to cell starvation (1).
Researchers have correlated beclin 1 expression in gastric cells and tissues (via beclin1 antibody immunoblotting) with both clinicopathology and survival rates, and were able to find promising evidence supporting the promising use of beclin1 as a prognostic marker for lymph node-positive gastric cancer patients (2). A separate oncology study in multiple myeloma (MM) cells employed beclin1 antibody to monitor the effects of potentially toxic malfolded proteins and autophagy on cell viability and apoptosis (3). They tested various combinations of autophagy inhibitors with chemotherapeutic agents looking for both synergistic and antagonistic effects.
Western Blot: Beclin 1 Antibody
Renal researchers have also used the beclin1 antibody as an autophagy marker to examine the role of HIF-1 alpha expression and autophagy in rat and mouse models of polycystic kidney disease (4).
A recent Nature publication highlighting Synphilin-1 role in both constitutive and inducible autophagy and aggrephagy was done with the beclin1 antibody, and identified different mechanisms that cells used to cope with aggregate proteins (5).
Novus Biologicals offers Beclin 1 reagents for your research needs including:
