BECN1 (beclin 1) is a core autophagy regulator and mammalian orthologue of yeast ATG6 1. It functions as a key component of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PtdIns3K) complex, which initiates autophagosome formation 2. BECN1 stability and activity are controlled through multiple post-translational modifications: CUL3-mediated K48-linked ubiquitination promotes BECN1 degradation and suppresses autophagy 3, while VCP/p97 UFMylation stabilizes BECN1 through ATXN3-mediated deubiquitination 2. SIRT1-mediated deacetylation at K430 and K437 activates BECN1-dependent autophagy 4. BECN1 phosphorylation by JAK2 at Y333 and by AMPK at Ser90/93/96 enhances autophagy initiation and ferroptosis 56. Beyond autophagy, BECN1 promotes ferroptotic cell death by blocking system Xc- activity through direct binding to SLC7A11 6. BECN1 downregulation in cancers correlates with poor prognosis 35, while viral pathogens exploit BECN1 to evade immunity 7. BECN1 dysfunction associates with neurological disorders and infections, making it an important therapeutic target 1.