Autophagy is the process by which endogenous proteins and damaged organelles are destroyed intracellularly. Autophagy is postulated to be essential for cell homeostasis and cell remodeling during differentiation, metamorphosis, non-apoptotic cell death, and aging. Reduced levels of autophagy have been described in some malignant tumors, and a role for autophagy in controlling the unregulated cell growth linked to cancer has been proposed. This gene 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.,ATG4A,APG4A,AUTL2,Cancer,Invasion and Metastasis,Signal Transduction,Cell Biology & Developmental Biology,Autophagy,Extracellular Matrix,Ubiquitin,Endocrine & Metabolism,Mitochondrial metabolism,Cardiovascular,Heart,ATGs,ATG4A