The autophagy protein LC3, a mammalian homologue of Atg8, was originally identified as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3. It is a component of both the MAP1A and MAP1B microtubule-binding domains and the heavy-chain independent regulation of LC3 expression might modify MAP1 microtubule-binding activity during development. LC3 is the only known mammalian protein identified that stably associate with the autophagosome membranes. LC3-I is cytosolic and LC3-II is membrane bound and enriched in the autophagic vacuole fraction. The detection of LC3-I to LC3-II conversion is a useful and sensitive marker for distinguishing autophagy in mammalian cells.
