Autophagy Related Protein 4C (ATG4C)

ATG4C encodes a member of the autophagin protein family. The encoded protein is also designated as a member of the C-54 family of cysteine proteases. Alternate transcriptional splice variants, encoding the same protein, have been characterized.

The deduced 458-amino acid protein contains a putative active-site cysteine at position 110. ATG4C shares significant similarity with yeast Apg4, except for divergence at its N- and C-terminal ends. The absence of an N-terminal signal sequence suggests that ATG4C is a cytoplasmic enzyme. Northern blot analysis detected a 3.5-kb transcript in many tissues, with highest expression in skeletal muscle, heart, liver, and testis. It was also detected in some tumor cell lines, but not in fetal tissues.