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 remodelling during differentiation, metamorphosis, non-apoptoticcell 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 cysteineproteases. Transcript variants that encode distinct isoforms have been identified.[6]
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Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH, et al. (2003). "Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99 (26): 16899–903. Bibcode:2002PNAS...9916899M. doi:10.1073/pnas.242603899. PMC139241. PMID12477932.16899-903&rft.date=2003&rft_id=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC139241#id-name=PMC&rft_id=info:pmid/12477932&rft_id=info:doi/10.1073/pnas.242603899&rft_id=info:bibcode/2002PNAS...9916899M&rft.aulast=Strausberg&rft.aufirst=RL&rft.au=Feingold, EA&rft.au=Grouse, LH&rft_id=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC139241&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Cysteine protease ATG4A" class="Z3988">