Cell localization:Cytoplasm.beclin 1(BECN1) Homo sapiens This gene encodes a protein that regµLates autophagy, a catabolic process of degradation induced by starvation. The encoded protein is a component of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) complex which mediates vesicle-trafficking processes. This protein is thought to play a role in mµLtiple cellµLar processes, including tumorigenesis, neurodegeneration and apoptosis. Alternative splicing resµLts in mµLtiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2015],