atg101

atg101

Introduction

Atg101 Gene is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.

--- [@nishida]
title: ATG101 Gene [@koch]
--- [@jung]

<div class="infobox infobox-gene"> [@mizushima]
<table>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="background:#f0f0f0;">ATG101 - Autophagy Related 1</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Gene Symbol</strong></td><td>ATG101</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Chromosomal Location</strong></td><td>14q24.2</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>NCBI Gene ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/84888" target="_blank">84888</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>OMIM</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.omim.org/entry/618328" target="_blank">618328</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Ensembl ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000160072" target="_blank">ENSG00000160072</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>UniProt ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9Y4P1/entry" target="_blank">Q9Y4P1</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Associated Diseases</strong></td><td>[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease), [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease-disease), Cancer</td></tr>
</table>
</div>

Overview

atg101

Introduction

Atg101 Gene is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.

--- [@nishida]
title: ATG101 Gene [@koch]
--- [@jung]

<div class="infobox infobox-gene"> [@mizushima]
<table>
<tr><th colspan="2" style="background:#f0f0f0;">ATG101 - Autophagy Related 1</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Gene Symbol</strong></td><td>ATG101</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Chromosomal Location</strong></td><td>14q24.2</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>NCBI Gene ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/84888" target="_blank">84888</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>OMIM</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.omim.org/entry/618328" target="_blank">618328</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Ensembl ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000160072" target="_blank">ENSG00000160072</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>UniProt ID</strong></td><td><a href="https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9Y4P1/entry" target="_blank">Q9Y4P1</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Associated Diseases</strong></td><td>[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease), [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease-disease), Cancer</td></tr>
</table>
</div>

Overview

The ATG101 gene ([Autophagy](/entities/autophagy) Related 1) encodes an essential component of the ULK1 complex, which initiates the autophagy process. ATG101 is a 271-amino acid protein that plays a critical role in regulating autophagy—the cellular degradation pathway responsible for clearing damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and intracellular pathogens. Autophagy is particularly important in [neurons](/entities/neurons), which are post-mitotic cells that cannot dilute harmful protein aggregates through cell division.

Background

ATG101 is a relatively late addition to the autophagy machinery, discovered as a component of the ULK1 (UNC-51 Like Kinase 1) complex. The gene is located on chromosome 14q24.2 and encodes a protein that contains no known enzymatic domains but functions as a scaffolding protein that bridges multiple components of the autophagy initiation machinery.

The ULK1 complex consists of:

• ULK1/2: Serine/threonine kinases that initiate autophagy
• ATG101: Scaffold protein stabilizing the complex
• FIP200: Focal adhesion kinase family interacting protein of 200 kDa
• ATG13: Regulatory subunit with multiple phosphorylation sites

Function

Regulation of Autophagy Initiation

ATG101 functions as a critical scaffold within the ULK1 complex:

Role in Neuronal Survival

In neurons, ATG101-mediated autophagy is essential for:

• Clearing misfolded proteins that accumulate in neurodegenerative diseases
• Removing damaged mitochondria (mitophagy)
• Maintaining synaptic homeostasis
• Preventing [apoptosis](/entities/apoptosis) triggered by proteostatic stress

Disease Associations

Alzheimer's Disease

In [Alzheimer's disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) (AD), autophagic flux is impaired, leading to accumulation of autophagosomes and reduced clearance of [amyloid-beta](/proteins/amyloid-beta) and [tau](/proteins/tau) aggregates. ATG101 dysregulation contributes to this impairment:

• ULK1 complex activity is reduced in AD brains
• ATG101 levels may be altered in AD neuronal tissue
• Enhancing autophagy through ULK1 activation shows therapeutic promise

Parkinson's Disease

[Parkinson's disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease-disease) (PD) involves accumulation of [alpha-synuclein](/proteins/alpha-synuclein) in Lewy bodies. Autophagy, particularly mitophagy, is critical for clearing damaged mitochondria in dopaminergic neurons:

• ATG101 is involved in PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy
• Mutations in PD-associated genes affect the autophagy pathway
• ATG101 dysfunction may contribute to dopaminergic neuron vulnerability

Cancer

Beyond neurodegeneration, ATG101 has context-dependent roles in cancer:

• ATG101 can function as an oncogene or tumor suppressor depending on context
• Some cancers show ATG101 overexpression
• ATG101 depletion can sensitize certain tumors to autophagy-inducing therapies

Therapeutic Implications

ATG101 represents a potential therapeutic target:

See Also

• [Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)
• [Amyloid Hypothesis](/mechanisms/amyloid-hypothesis)
• [Tau Pathology](/mechanisms/tau-pathology)
• [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease)
• [Alpha-Synuclein](/mechanisms/alpha-synuclein)

External Links

• [NCBI Gene](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/84888)
• [UniProt](https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/Q9Y4P1/entry)
• [Ensembl](https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000160072)
• [OMIM](https://www.omim.org/entry/618328)

References

Pathway Diagram

The following diagram shows the key molecular relationships involving atg101 discovered through SciDEX knowledge graph analysis:

Pathway Diagram

The following diagram shows the key molecular relationships involving atg101 discovered through SciDEX knowledge graph analysis: