Images taken by confocal laser scanning microscopy of pancreatic cancer cells (PANC‐1 and BxPC‐3) transfected with GFP‐tagged LC3 showed that the level of membrane‐bound LC3 increased in cells under hypoxic conditions compared with normoxic conditions (Figure 4A), indicating an increase in the level of autophagy. This evidence concerns the gene MAP1LC3A and familial pancreatic carcinoma.