The protein encoded by this gene is part of a large protein complex that is required for autophagy. In this context, autophagy refers to an important process in which protein components resulting from intracellular metabolism (cellular waste) are degraded in lysosomes (Lacher M et al. 1992).
ATG 16L1 is the most important gene regulating the autophagy pathway (see also other autophagy genes). This relates to the major process of autophagy in which accumulated intracellular "load" is translocated to lysosomes for degradation. Several transcript variants have been found for this gene, coding for different isoforms.