---
title: "LC3: The gold standard for autophagy research"
description: LC3, a mammalian homologue of yeast ATG8, is a soluble protein that is distributed ubiquitously in mammalian tissues and cultured cells. LC3 has been studied most extensively and is frequently used as an autophagy marker in mammals.
image: https://blog.mblintl.com/hubfs/LC3-1.png
---

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- LC3: The gold standard for autophagy research

# LC3: The gold standard for autophagy research

### Topics

- Select Topic - 3D Cell Culture Advancements in Metabolism Research Allergy Antibodies Antibody Antibody Reagents Antibody-Peptide Conjugates Apoptosis Assay and Kits Autoimmune Disease Autophagy BRIC Benefits of Tetramer Assays Biomarker Cancer Cell Biology Cell Culture Reagents Cell Stabilization Custom Peptide Synthesis Cytokine Dextramer Staining Drug Discovery ELISA Epigenetics Epitope Tag Exosome Exosomes FCM Fc blocker Flow Cytometry Flow Cytometry Antibodies Fluoppi Fluorescent Proteins Future of Tetramer Technology Gastric Inhibitory Peptide Gene Regulation Gene Therapy Green Fluorescent Protein IL-18 Immune Response Immunology Inflammation Isotype Control Kits and Assays LC3 Liquid Biopsy MHC MHC Alleles MHC Class II Tetramers MHC Peptides Contribute MHC Tetramer MHC Tetramer Protocol MHC tetramer advancements Metabolism Mitophagy NCP Neuroscience Neuroscience Reagents Organoid PCSK9 PCSK9 ELISA Kit Peptide Peptide Exchange Peptide Synthesis Methods Peptide Synthesis Service Peptide-Infused Skin Care Products Preservation Purify exosome Quality Control QuickSwitch Quickswitch™ Custom Tetramer Kits RBP RIP Chip RNA Recombinant Protein Production Recombinant Proteins Regulation RiboTrap S100 Proteins SARS-CoV-2 T-Cell Detection TCR Tetramers Tetramer Tetramer Analysis Tetramer Assay Tetramer Assay Protocol Tetramer Staining TransFix Vectors Western Reagents atg8 covid-19 gfp keima red kinases mitochondria cell death p62 pathways phosphorylation pro IL-18 reagents rfp t cell tuberculosis ultracentrifugation vaccine

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Published by [Lise Peeters, PhD](https://blog.mblintl.com/author/lise-peeters-phd) on Dec 13, 2018 1:00:00 PM

![](https://blog.mblintl.com/hubfs/LC3-1.png)

LC3, a mammalian homologue of yeast ATG8, is a soluble protein that is distributed ubiquitously in mammalian tissues and cultured cells. LC3 has been studied most extensively and is frequently used as an autophagy marker in mammals.  Newly translated LC3 (proLC3) is immediately processed at the C-terminus in order to form LC3-I. During autophagy, autophagosomes engulf cytoplasmic components, including cytosolic proteins and organelles. Concomitantly, a cytosolic form of LC3 (LC3-I) is conjugated to phosphatidylethanolamine to form LC3-phosphatidylethanolamine conjugate (LC3-II), which is recruited to autophagosomal membranes.

![LC3-1](https://blog.mblintl.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LC3-1.png?width=527&name=LC3-1.png)

Autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes to form autolysosomes, and intra-autophagosomal components are degraded by lysosomal hydrolases. At the same time, LC3-II in autolysosomal lumen is degraded. Thus, lysosomal turnover of the autophagosomal marker LC3-II reflects starvation-induced autophagic activity, and detecting LC3 by immunoblotting or immunofluorescence has become a reliable method for monitoring autophagy and autophagy-related processes, including autophagic cell death.

Recent studies have demonstrated that mammalian autophagy is involved not only in the starvation response, but also in antigen presentation, cell death, development, aging, tumorigenesis, and in the defense against bacterial infection. Thus, autophagy research will be increasingly important in understanding these processes in the body. In order to determine the levels of autophagy, anti-LC3 antibodies can be used for detection of endogenous LC3-II by immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence.

**Product Highlights**

| **Product Code** | **Product Name** | **Species Reactivity** | **Applications** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [M152-3](https://products.mblintl.com/products/m152-3) | Anti-LC3 Monoclonal Antibody | Human, Mouse, Rat, Hamster | FCM, ICC, IP, WB |
| [M186-3](https://products.mblintl.com/products/m186-3) | Anti-LC3  Monoclonal Antibody | Human, Mouse, Rat, Hamster | WB |
| [M186-7](https://products.mblintl.com/products/m186-7) | Anti-LC3 Monoclonal Antibody HRP-DirecT | Human, Mouse, Rat, Hamster | WB |
| [PD014](https://products.mblintl.com/products/pd014) | Anti-LC3 Polyclonal Antibody | Human, Mouse, Rat, Hamster | WB |
| [PM036](https://products.mblintl.com/products/pm036) | Anti-LC3 Polyclonal Antibody | Human, Mouse, Rat, Hamster | FCM, ICC, IHC, IP, WB |

 

 

Tags: [Autophagy](https://blog.mblintl.com/topic/autophagy), [LC3](https://blog.mblintl.com/topic/lc3), [atg8](https://blog.mblintl.com/topic/atg8)

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