Why does the signal for LC3-II increase with chloroquine, an inhibitor of autophagy?

The abundance of LC3-II is generally very low without treatment. Glucose starvation, amino acid starvation, serum starvation, and rapamycin treatment have been shown in the literature to induce increases in the abundance of LC3-II. Our LC3 antibodies are generally quality control tested on extracts prepared from cells treated with and without 50 uM chloroquine overnight. Chloroquine prevents the turnover of autophagosomes by inhibiting lysosomal function (i.e., increases lysosomal pH), thereby leading to an artificial accumulation of autophagosomes within the cell. The increase in autophagosomes is accompanied by an increase in the type-II form of LC3.

Last updated: April 2, 2024