As shown in Fig. 5a–d and Additional file 2: Fig. S2A-D, the LC3B-II transition was elevated in BEL/FU and SK-Hep1 cells but reduced in BEL-7402 and HCC-LM3 cells under Earle’s Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS) starvation conditions in the presence or absence of chloroquine (CQ), an inhibitor of the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. Here, MAP1LC3B is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.