Atg3 (autophagy-related protein 3), also known as APG3-like, hAPG3 or PC3-96, is an E2-like enzyme that localizes to the cytoplasm and is expressed in a variety of tissues with predominant levels found in kidney, placenta, liver, heart and skeletal muscle. Atg3 catalyzes the formation of the Atg8-phosphatidylethanolamine (Atg8-PE) conjugate, a reaction that is essential for autophagy (a cellular process that allows for the degradation of organelles and bulk cellular proteins). The process of forming the Atg8-PE conjugate begins with the removal of the C-terminal arginine residue of Atg8 by Atg4, a cysteine protease. The, now exposed, glycine residue is then activated by Atg7 and is then transferred to Atg3 for the final conjugation to PE. This last step can be accelerated by the presence of the Atg12-Atg5 conjugate which functions similarly to an E3 enzyme.
