Affinage

ULK2

Serine/threonine-protein kinase ULK2 · UniProt Q8IYT8

Length
1036 aa
Mass
112.7 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
44 papers in source corpus 20 papers cited in narrative 20 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 6/6 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

ULK2 is a serine/threonine kinase that initiates and directs autophagy as the mammalian counterpart of ATG1/UNC-51, sharing an N-terminal kinase domain, central proline/serine-rich (PS) domain, and C-terminal domain with ULK1, and undergoing autophosphorylation within the PS domain (PMID:10557072). Together with its paralog ULK1, ULK2 is required for amino-acid-starvation-induced autophagy and the two kinases are largely functionally redundant in fibroblasts, yet they diverge in a cell-type-specific manner, with ULK2 carrying unique roles in skeletal muscle, the developing heart, and lipid metabolism (PMID:21690395, PMID:21460635, PMID:31361156, PMID:35104184). Beyond canonical autophagy initiation, ULK2 acts through autophagy-independent kinase functions on a growing set of substrates: it phosphorylates VCP/p97 to drive stress-granule disassembly (PMID:30979586), activates TBK1 to stimulate STING-mediated interferon signaling (PMID:34560002), phosphorylates paxillin/PXN to oppose focal adhesion assembly and suppress cell migration (PMID:38163960), phosphorylates CARMA2sh to restrain NF-κB activation via lysosomal degradation of BCL10 (PMID:28230860), and phosphorylates c-Jun at Ser243 to suppress glycolysis (PMID:41719166). ULK2 activity is negatively controlled by PKCλ/ι, which phosphorylates it to promote endosomal microautophagy-driven degradation (PMID:34560002), and by PKA-dependent Ser1027 phosphorylation, which drives Kapβ2/PY-NLS-mediated nuclear import and dissociation from Atg13 and FIP200 (PMID:26052940). In the nervous system, ULK2 governs habenular neuropil and dendrite elaboration through interaction with Kctd12 (PMID:21734278, PMID:25329151), and regulates GABAA receptor surface expression in cortical pyramidal neurons upstream of p62 (PMID:29893844). Functionally, ULK2 acts as a growth suppressor in glioma and modulates chemoresistance, consistent with a broad tumor-suppressive role (PMID:24923441, PMID:41719166).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 17 steps
  1. 1999 Medium

    Established ULK2 as an autophosphorylating serine/threonine kinase with a conserved ATG1/UNC-51-type domain architecture, defining the structural basis for its catalytic activity.

    Evidence In vitro kinase autophosphorylation assays with truncation mutants and ULK2/UNC-51 chimeras in COS7 cells plus C. elegans rescue

    PMID:10557072

    Open questions at the time
    • No physiological substrate identified at this stage
    • Cellular function not addressed
    • Single lab, no replication
  2. 2011 High

    Defined ULK1/ULK2 redundancy in starvation-induced autophagy while revealing both stimulus-specificity and cell-type-specific non-redundancy, refining when ULK2 is functionally required.

    Evidence Single and double Ulk1/2 knockout MEFs and cerebellar granule neurons with LC3/EM autophagy readouts

    PMID:21460635 PMID:21690395 PMID:22024743

    Open questions at the time
    • Does not resolve molecular basis of ULK2-specific versus ULK1-specific roles
    • Atg13-independent autophagy mechanism unexplained
    • Glucose- and ammonia-induced autophagy pathways unmapped
  3. 2011 Medium

    Identified ULK2 as a regulator of habenular neuropil elaboration, linking the kinase to neuronal morphogenesis through a Kctd12 interaction.

    Evidence Kctd12.1 interaction screen with zebrafish knockdown/overexpression and habenular morphology analysis

    PMID:21734278

    Open questions at the time
    • Kinase substrates in this pathway unidentified
    • Mechanism of Kctd12-mediated inhibition unknown
    • Autophagy-dependence not tested
  4. 2013 Medium

    Distinguished ULK2 from ULK1 in adipocyte lipid metabolism, showing the paralogs can exert opposing metabolic effects.

    Evidence shRNA knockdown in 3T3-L1 adipocytes with lipolysis, Seahorse flux, and autophagy assays

    PMID:24135897

    Open questions at the time
    • Substrates underlying metabolic effects unknown
    • Knockdown rather than clean genetic deletion
    • Mechanism of opposing ULK1/ULK2 effects unresolved
  5. 2014 Medium

    Established ULK2 as a kinase-dependent, autophagy-dependent growth suppressor in glioma, connecting its catalytic activity to tumor suppression.

    Evidence Wild-type versus kinase-dead overexpression in ATG5+/+ and ATG5-/- cells with growth and xenograft assays

    PMID:24923441

    Open questions at the time
    • Overexpression-based, endogenous role untested
    • Relevant substrates not identified
    • Single lab
  6. 2014 Medium

    Mapped the Kctd12-ULK2 interaction to the PS domain and tied it to dendrite elaboration and anxiety-like behavior, deepening the neuronal morphogenesis role.

    Evidence Domain-mapped interaction with zebrafish loss-of-function and dendrite/behavioral quantification

    PMID:25329151

    Open questions at the time
    • Kinase activity requirement not established
    • Downstream effectors unknown
    • Single lab
  7. 2015 Medium

    Revealed PKA-driven, Kapβ2/PY-NLS-mediated nuclear import as a switch that dissociates ULK2 from Atg13/FIP200 and dampens autophagy, providing a regulatory off-switch.

    Evidence Reciprocal Kapβ2 pull-down, confocal co-localization, P794A/Ser1027 mutagenesis, and autophagy assays

    PMID:26052940

    Open questions at the time
    • Nuclear function of ULK2 undefined
    • PKA upstream signal context unmapped
    • Single lab
  8. 2017 Medium

    Identified CARMA2sh as a ULK2 substrate, linking the kinase to NF-κB suppression and psoriasis-associated signaling.

    Evidence Co-IP, in vitro kinase assay, NF-κB reporter, lysosomal degradation assay, and psoriasis mutant analysis

    PMID:28230860

    Open questions at the time
    • Phosphosite on CARMA2sh not pinpointed in narrative
    • In vivo relevance untested
    • Single lab
  9. 2017 High

    Demonstrated an autophagy-independent requirement for ULK1/ULK2 in forebrain axon guidance, establishing non-autophagic functions in CNS development.

    Evidence Nes-Cre conditional Ulk1/2 double knockout mice with Atg7/Rb1cc1 epistasis and axon tracing

    PMID:29099309

    Open questions at the time
    • Substrates mediating axon guidance unknown
    • ULK2-specific contribution not separated from ULK1
    • Mechanism of guidance unresolved
  10. 2018 High

    Placed ULK2 upstream of p62-mediated GABAA receptor trafficking, linking its loss to excitatory-inhibitory imbalance and behavioral deficits.

    Evidence Ulk2+/- mice with electrophysiology, receptor surface assays, genetic/pharmacological/peptide p62 rescue, and behavior

    PMID:29893844

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct ULK2 substrate in this pathway unidentified
    • Connection to canonical autophagy machinery not fully defined
    • Single lab
  11. 2019 High

    Identified VCP/p97 as a ULK1/ULK2 substrate driving stress granule disassembly, and skeletal-muscle ULK2 as required for selective clearance of ubiquitinated aggregates, defining proteostatic functions.

    Evidence Ulk1/2 double KO and muscle-specific paralog-specific KO mice with in vitro VCP phosphorylation, ATPase/disassembly assays, and aggregate fractionation

    PMID:30979586 PMID:31361156

    Open questions at the time
    • VCP phosphosite mapping limited
    • How ULK2 selectively recognizes aggregates unknown
    • Relationship to autophagosome formation in muscle not fully resolved
  12. 2021 High

    Defined a complete upstream-downstream signaling axis: PKCλ/ι represses and degrades ULK2 via endosomal microautophagy, while active ULK2 phosphorylates TBK1 to drive STING interferon signaling and antitumor immunity.

    Evidence In vitro kinase assays for both PKCλ/ι→ULK2 and ULK2→TBK1 steps with PKCλ/ι KO/inhibition, STING reporter, and CD8+ T cell tumor models

    PMID:34560002

    Open questions at the time
    • TBK1 phosphosite not detailed
    • Balance between ULK2 autophagic and immune functions unclear
    • Single lab
  13. 2022 High

    Separated developmental from adult cardiac roles, showing perinatal but not adult ULK2 loss is compensated by ULK1, clarifying tissue- and timing-specific essentiality.

    Evidence Cardiomyocyte-specific, double, and inducible KO mice with autophagy flux, echocardiography, and mitochondrial respiration

    PMID:35104184

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular basis of developmental versus adult difference unknown
    • ULK2-unique substrates in heart unidentified
  14. 2024 Medium

    Identified paxillin as a ULK1/ULK2 substrate whose serine phosphorylation opposes focal adhesion assembly and PTK2/SRC tyrosine signaling, defining an autophagy-independent role in migration.

    Evidence In vitro kinase assay on PXN, phosphosite mapping, focal adhesion/F-actin imaging, and migration assays with autophagy-deficient controls

    PMID:38163960

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo relevance for metastasis untested
    • ULK2-specific versus ULK1 contribution not separated
    • Single lab
  15. 2025 Medium

    Resolved a stable ULK2-FIP200 complex that links to AMPK α1/γ1 subunits and showed ULK2 loss activates AMPK to promote autophagic BCR::ABL degradation, extending ULK2 regulation to leukemia.

    Evidence Mass spectrometry of the ULK2 complex in 293FT cells with shRNA knockdown, AMPK activation, localization, and BCR::ABL degradation assays in CML cells

    PMID:40664084

    Open questions at the time
    • Direction of AMPK-ULK2 regulation incompletely defined
    • Knockdown rather than genetic deletion
    • Single lab
  16. 2025 Medium

    Showed METTL3-mediated m6A modification upregulates ULK2 to enhance autophagy and drive fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation, identifying an upstream transcript-level control of ULK2.

    Evidence MeRIP-seq, METTL3 siRNA knockdown, autophagy readouts, and in vivo rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model

    PMID:40409645

    Open questions at the time
    • m6A reader mediating ULK2 upregulation unidentified
    • Direct kinase substrates in fibrosis unknown
    • Single lab
  17. 2026 Medium

    Identified c-Jun Ser243 as a ULK2 substrate whose phosphorylation promotes c-Jun degradation, suppresses glycolysis, and reduces cisplatin resistance, linking ULK2 to metabolic control of chemoresistance.

    Evidence Phosphoproteomics after ULK2 overexpression in ovarian cancer organoids with c-Jun phosphosite validation, glycolysis/chemosensitivity assays, and c-Jun rescue

    PMID:41719166

    Open questions at the time
    • Overexpression-based, endogenous role untested
    • Mechanism of c-Jun degradation downstream of Ser243 unclear
    • Single lab

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How ULK2 selects between its canonical autophagy-initiation role and its diverse autophagy-independent substrates (VCP, TBK1, PXN, CARMA2sh, c-Jun) in a tissue- and stimulus-specific manner remains unresolved.
  • No unifying model for substrate selection or context-specificity
  • Structural basis of ULK2-specific versus ULK1-specific functions unknown
  • Endogenous physiological hierarchy of ULK2 substrates undefined

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0140096 catalytic activity, acting on a protein 6 GO:0016740 transferase activity 5 GO:0140657 ATP-dependent activity 1
Localization
GO:0005829 cytosol 2 GO:0005634 nucleus 1
Pathway
R-HSA-9612973 Autophagy 5 R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 3 R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 2 R-HSA-168256 Immune System 2 R-HSA-392499 Metabolism of proteins 2
Partners
ATG13CARMA2SHFIP200KAPΒ2KCTD12PXNTBK1VCP
Complex memberships
ULK2-FIP200-Atg13 autophagy initiation complex

Evidence

Reading pass · 20 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1999 ULK2 is a serine/threonine kinase that undergoes autophosphorylation in vitro; truncation mutants mapped autophosphorylation to the proline/serine-rich (PS) domain. ULK2 shares domain architecture (N-terminal kinase domain, central PS domain, C-terminal domain) with ULK1 and C. elegans UNC-51. Chimeric ULK2/UNC-51 constructs showed kinase and PS domain functions are conserved across species while the C domain acts in a species-specific manner. In vitro kinase autophosphorylation assay with truncation mutants; ULK2/UNC-51 chimeric constructs expressed in COS7 cells; C. elegans rescue assay Oncogene Medium 10557072
2011 ULK1 and ULK2 are functionally redundant serine/threonine kinases required for autophagy induction under amino acid deprivation in MEFs; double knockout of ULK1 and ULK2 blocks amino acid starvation-induced autophagy but not glucose-deprivation-induced autophagy. Ammonia-induced autophagy proceeds independently of ULK1/ULK2. Genetic double knockout (Ulk1/2-/- MEFs); autophagy readouts (LC3 conversion, electron microscopy) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 21690395
2011 ULK1 and ULK2 are functionally redundant in mediating starvation-induced autophagy in fibroblasts, but ULK1 (not ULK2) is specifically required for autophagy in cerebellar granule neurons responding to low potassium, demonstrating cell-type-specific non-redundancy. Single and double knockout MEFs and cerebellar granule neurons; autophagy assays (LC3-II levels, autophagosome formation) Autophagy High 21460635
2011 Atg13-dependent autophagy induction can proceed independently of ULK1 and ULK2; simultaneous Ulk1/Ulk2 double knockout did not phenocopy Atg13 deficiency, and ULK1-dependent phosphorylation sites in Atg13 were found dispensable for autophagy induction. Ulk1/2 double knockout cells; Atg13-deficient cells; phosphorylation site mutagenesis Autophagy Medium 22024743
2011 Ulk2 promotes neuropil elaboration in zebrafish habenular neurons, and this activity is asymmetrically inhibited by Kctd12.1, which physically interacts with Ulk2. Knockdown of Ulk2 reduces asymmetric neuropil elaboration; overexpression causes excess neuropil. This interaction was identified through a screen for Kctd12.1-interacting proteins. Protein interaction screen; zebrafish knockdown and overexpression; morphological analysis of habenular neuropil The Journal of neuroscience Medium 21734278
2013 ULK2 knockdown in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes reduces basal and mTORC1 inhibition-induced autophagy, reduces basal lipolysis, reduces mitochondrial respiration, and has opposing effects to ULK1 knockdown on fatty acid oxidation and fatty acid uptake, indicating functionally distinct roles for ULK1 and ULK2 in lipid metabolism. shRNA knockdown of Ulk1 and Ulk2 in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes; lipolysis assays; Seahorse metabolic flux analysis; autophagy assays Autophagy Medium 24135897
2014 ULK2 overexpression induces autophagy and inhibits growth of glioma cells; this growth inhibition requires kinase activity (kinase-dead mutant fails to induce autophagy or inhibit growth) and is autophagy-dependent (abolished in ATG5-/- cells). ULK2 also inhibits anchorage-independent growth and astrocyte transformation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Ectopic overexpression of wild-type and kinase-dead ULK2; ATG5+/+ and ATG5-/- iBMK cells; autophagy assays; anchorage-independent growth assay; in vivo xenograft The Journal of biological chemistry Medium 24923441
2015 ULK2 is transported into the nucleus via karyopherin beta 2 (Kapβ2) through a PY-NLS motif (residues 774-795) in its S/P spacer domain. PKA phosphorylation of ULK2 at Ser1027 promotes nuclear localization, functional dissociation from Atg13 and FIP200, and reduced autophagic activity. Mutation of the Kapβ2-binding motif (P794A) retained ULK2 in the cytoplasm and increased autophagy activity. In vitro and in vivo pull-down of ULK2 with Kapβ2; confocal co-localization; site-directed mutagenesis (P794A, Ser1027); autophagy activity assay; in vitro kinase assay PloS one Medium 26052940
2017 ULK2 binds to and phosphorylates CARMA2sh in human keratinocytes, thereby inhibiting CARMA2sh-mediated NF-κB activation by promoting lysosomal degradation of BCL10. Psoriasis-associated missense mutations in CARMA2sh escape ULK2-mediated phosphorylation and inhibition. Co-immunoprecipitation; in vitro kinase assay; NF-κB reporter assay; lysosomal degradation assay; psoriasis mutant analysis Cell death & disease Medium 28230860
2017 ULK1 and ULK2 are required for proper axon guidance and defasciculation in the developing mouse forebrain (corpus callosum, anterior commissure, corticothalamic and thalamocortical axons) via an autophagy-independent pathway, as these defects were not recapitulated by loss of Atg7 or Rb1cc1. CNS-specific conditional Ulk1/2 double knockout mice (Nes-Cre); Atg7 and Rb1cc1 knockout comparison; brain histology; axon tracing Autophagy High 29099309
2018 Ulk2 heterozygous loss in mice leads to p62 upregulation in prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons, reduced GABAA receptor surface expression, and excitatory-inhibitory imbalance. Reducing p62 genetically or pharmacologically, or blocking p62-GABARAPL2 interaction with a peptide, restores GABAA receptor surface expression and rescues behavioral deficits, placing ULK2 upstream of p62-mediated regulation of GABAA receptor endocytic trafficking. Ulk2+/- mice; immunofluorescence; electrophysiology; receptor surface expression assay; genetic p62 reduction; peptide interference; behavioral tests Human molecular genetics High 29893844
2019 ULK1 and ULK2 localize to stress granules, phosphorylate VCP/p97, and thereby increase VCP's ATPase activity and ability to disassemble stress granules. Loss of ULK1/2 in mice causes vacuolar myopathy with ubiquitin- and TDP-43-positive inclusions similar to VCP mutation-associated inclusion body myopathy. Ulk1/2 double knockout mouse model; co-localization of ULK1/2 with stress granule markers; in vitro phosphorylation of VCP; VCP ATPase activity assay; stress granule disassembly assay; ULK1/2 agonist treatment Molecular cell High 30979586
2019 ULK2 (but not ULK1) is specifically required in skeletal muscle for basal selective degradation of insoluble ubiquitinated protein aggregates associated with p62 and NBR1. ULK2 deficiency causes accumulation of these aggregates, myofiber atrophy, and degeneration without impairing autophagy initiation, autophagosome-lysosome fusion, or proteasome/lysosome protease activities. Muscle-specific ULK2 and ULK1 knockout mice; ubiquitinated protein aggregate fractionation; p62/NBR1 immunostaining; muscle force measurements; lysosome and proteasome activity assays FASEB journal High 31361156
2021 PKCλ/ι directly phosphorylates ULK2, repressing its activity and promoting its degradation via an endosomal microautophagy-driven ubiquitin-dependent mechanism. Loss of PKCλ/ι increases enzymatically active ULK2, which then directly phosphorylates and activates TBK1 to stimulate STING-mediated interferon signaling. In vitro kinase assay (PKCλ/ι phosphorylates ULK2); in vitro kinase assay (ULK2 phosphorylates TBK1); PKCλ/ι knockout and pharmacological inhibition; ULK2 degradation assay; STING pathway reporter; CD8+ T cell recruitment in tumor models Molecular cell High 34560002
2022 Perinatal loss of ULK2 in cardiomyocytes (cU2-KO) enhances basal autophagy dependent on the remaining ULK1, preserving cardiac function. Perinatal double loss of ULK1 and ULK2 impairs autophagy causing age-related cardiomyopathy. Adult-specific loss of ULK2 (icU2-KO) does not cause cardiomyopathy, distinguishing its developmental role from that of ULK1. Cardiomyocyte-specific and inducible ULK1 and ULK2 knockout mice; autophagy flux assays; cardiac function (echocardiography); mitochondrial respiration; survival analysis Autophagy High 35104184
2024 ULK1 and ULK2 phosphorylate the focal adhesion protein paxillin (PXN) at serine residues, inhibiting focal adhesion assembly and F-actin organization to suppress breast cancer cell migration in an autophagy-independent manner. ULK1/2-mediated serine phosphorylation of PXN counteracts tyrosine phosphorylation by PTK2 and SRC. ULK1/2 kinase assay on PXN; phosphorylation site mapping; focal adhesion and F-actin imaging; migration assays; autophagy-deficient control conditions Autophagy Medium 38163960
2014 Ulk2 interacts with Kctd12 proteins via its proline/serine-rich domain, and this interaction negatively regulates Ulk2-driven dendrite branching and elaboration in zebrafish habenular neurons. Loss of Kctd12 results in excess branching; loss of Ulk2 reduces dendrite elaboration and increases anxiety-like behavior. Protein interaction mapping (Kctd12-Ulk2 domain interaction); zebrafish loss-of-function (morpholino/mutant); dendritic morphology quantification; behavioral assays PloS one Medium 25329151
2025 ULK2 forms a stable complex with FIP200, which in turn specifically interacts with AMPK α1 and γ1 subunits (but not other AMPK subunits). shRNA-mediated knockdown of ULK2 activates AMPK and promotes cytoplasmic accumulation of ULK1 and FIP200, thereby inducing autophagy-dependent degradation of BCR::ABL and CML cell death. Mass spectrometry analysis of ULK2 complex in 293FT cells; shRNA knockdown of ULK2 in CML cells; AMPK activation assay; ULK1/FIP200 localization; BCR::ABL degradation assay; cell viability Biochemical and biophysical research communications Medium 40664084
2025 METTL3-mediated m6A modification of ULK2 mRNA upregulates ULK2 expression in hypertrophic scar fibroblasts, enhancing autophagy and driving fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation. Silencing METTL3 impaired autophagic flux and inhibited this differentiation. MeRIP-seq to identify m6A sites on ULK2 mRNA; METTL3 siRNA knockdown; Western blotting; transmission electron microscopy; LC3-II/I ratio; in vivo siRNA injection in rabbit ear HS model International journal of biological macromolecules Medium 40409645
2026 ULK2 overexpression in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer organoids phosphorylates c-Jun at Ser243, promoting c-Jun degradation and suppressing glycolysis, thereby reducing cisplatin resistance. c-Jun overexpression counteracts both the chemosensitivity and glycolytic suppression induced by ULK2. Phosphoproteomics after ULK2 overexpression in organoids; c-Jun phosphorylation validation; glycolysis assays; CCK-8 and in vivo experiments; c-Jun overexpression rescue Science progress Medium 41719166

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 44 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2011 Ammonia-induced autophagy is independent of ULK1/ULK2 kinases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 294 21690395
2019 ULK1 and ULK2 Regulate Stress Granule Disassembly Through Phosphorylation and Activation of VCP/p97. Molecular cell 154 30979586
2017 Long noncoding RNA Malat1 is a potent autophagy inducer protecting brain microvascular endothelial cells against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced injury by sponging miR-26b and upregulating ULK2 expression. Neuroscience 153 28433650
2011 The requirement of uncoordinated 51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) and ULK2 in the regulation of autophagy. Autophagy 153 21460635
2011 Atg13 and FIP200 act independently of Ulk1 and Ulk2 in autophagy induction. Autophagy 116 22024743
2013 Distinct functions of Ulk1 and Ulk2 in the regulation of lipid metabolism in adipocytes. Autophagy 87 24135897
2014 Methylation silencing of ULK2, an autophagy gene, is essential for astrocyte transformation and tumor growth. The Journal of biological chemistry 79 24923441
1999 Mouse ULK2, a novel member of the UNC-51-like protein kinases: unique features of functional domains. Oncogene 76 10557072
2017 The autophagy-inducing kinases, ULK1 and ULK2, regulate axon guidance in the developing mouse forebrain via a noncanonical pathway. Autophagy 66 29099309
2016 MiR-26b inhibits autophagy by targeting ULK2 in prostate cancer cells. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 56 26920049
2018 Ulk2 controls cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance via autophagic regulation of p62 and GABAA receptor trafficking in pyramidal neurons. Human molecular genetics 43 29893844
2020 ULK1 and ULK2 are less redundant than previously thought: computational analysis uncovers distinct regulation and functions of these autophagy induction proteins. Scientific reports 36 32616830
2019 ULK2 is essential for degradation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates and homeostasis in skeletal muscle. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 36 31361156
2021 PKCλ/ι inhibition activates an ULK2-mediated interferon response to repress tumorigenesis. Molecular cell 27 34560002
2022 Perinatal versus adult loss of ULK1 and ULK2 distinctly influences cardiac autophagy and function. Autophagy 23 35104184
2017 Downregulation of miRNA-26b inhibits cancer proliferation of laryngeal carcinoma through autophagy by targeting ULK2 and inactivation of the PTEN/AKT pathway. Oncology reports 23 28713931
2019 Sensory Neuropathy Affects Cardiac miRNA Expression Network Targeting IGF-1, SLC2a-12, EIF-4e, and ULK-2 mRNAs. International journal of molecular sciences 20 30823517
2011 Asymmetric inhibition of Ulk2 causes left-right differences in habenular neuropil formation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 20 21734278
2018 miR-26a suppresses autophagy in swine Sertoli cells by targeting ULK2. Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene 18 29761550
2017 Intratumoral Heterogeneity of Somatic Mutations for NRIP1, DOK1, ULK1, ULK2, DLGAP3, PARD3 and PRKCI in Colon Cancers. Pathology oncology research : POR 15 28844109
2021 LncRNA GAS5 Suppressed Proliferation and Promoted Apoptosis in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Targeting MiR-26a-5p and Modifying ULK2. Cancer management and research 13 33551645
2022 Mesangial Cell-Derived Exosomal miR-4455 Induces Podocyte Injury in IgA Nephropathy by Targeting ULK2. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity 12 36388165
2021 Ulk1, Not Ulk2, Is Required for Exercise Training-Induced Improvement of Insulin Response in Skeletal Muscle. Frontiers in physiology 12 34658916
2021 CircARHGAP12 Triggers Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Autophagy to Facilitate its Effect on Repairing Diabetic Wounds by Sponging miR-301b-3p/ATG16L1 and miR-301b-3p/ULK2. The Journal of investigative dermatology 12 34933019
2017 CARMA2sh and ULK2 control pathogen-associated molecular patterns recognition in human keratinocytes: psoriasis-linked CARMA2sh mutants escape ULK2 censorship. Cell death & disease 12 28230860
2024 An autophagy-independent role of ULK1/ULK2 in mechanotransduction and breast cancer cell migration. Autophagy 11 38163960
2018 Overexpression of Ulk2 inhibits proliferation and enhances chemosensitivity to cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer. Oncology letters 10 30655741
2015 ULK2 Ser 1027 Phosphorylation by PKA Regulates Its Nuclear Localization Occurring through Karyopherin Beta 2 Recognition of a PY-NLS Motif. PloS one 10 26052940
2020 Association of asparaginase-associated pancreatitis and ULK2 gene polymorphism. International journal of clinical and experimental pathology 7 32269672
2024 Exosome-Transmitted miR-224-5p Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation via Targeting ULK2 in p53-Dependent Manner. Biomedical and environmental sciences : BES 6 38326722
2021 Methylation silencing of ULK2 via epithelial-mesenchymal transition causes transformation to poorly differentiated gastric cancers. Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association 6 34554345
2017 Androgen receptor antagonist bicalutamide induces autophagy and apoptosis via ULK2 upregulation in human bladder cancer cells. International journal of clinical and experimental pathology 6 31966605
2025 T-lymphocytes suppression by CD14+ monocytes with high expression of ULK2 in patients with multiple myeloma. Journal of translational medicine 4 40336101
2024 ULK2 Is a Key Pro-Autophagy Protein That Contributes to the High Chemoresistance and Disease Relapse in FLT3-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia. International journal of molecular sciences 4 38203816
2024 ULK2 suppresses ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion by elevating IGFBP3. PeerJ 4 38952983
2014 Kctd12 and Ulk2 partner to regulate dendritogenesis and behavior in the habenular nuclei. PloS one 4 25329151
2025 METTL3-dependent epigenetic regulation of ULK2 autophagy in hypertrophic scarring. International journal of biological macromolecules 3 40409645
2021 Immunosurveillance, interferon, and autophagic networking in cancer: the PRKCI-ULK2 paradigm. Autophagy 3 34895031
2025 ULK2 promotes migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells via MCT4-mediated lactate export. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) 2 40696241
2025 In silico identification of bilobetin and ginsenoside as dual CK2 and ULK2 inhibitors targeting triple-negative breast cancer. Scientific reports 1 41469454
2026 ULK2 suppresses glycolysis to attenuate cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer organoid via c-Jun phosphorylation. Science progress 0 41719166
2025 The 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) regulates grass carp ULK2 to inhibit GCRV replication. Fish & shellfish immunology 0 39753154
2025 ULK2 deficiency stratifies autophagy-driven molecular subtypes and exacerbates trophoblasts apoptosis in preeclampsia. Placenta 0 40319799
2025 Novel insights into the ULK2-FIP200-AMPK-mediated regulation of autophagy and BCR::ABL degradation in chronic myeloid leukemia. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 0 40664084

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