VMP1 and pancreatitis: Previous studies of our laboratory identified VMP1 (NM_138839) as a novel autophagy-related protein in which its expression is induced in the human pancreas with pancreatitis and in experimental pancreatitis under the G-coupled receptor CCK-R hyperstimulation (Ropolo et al., 2007; Vaccaro et al., 2008; Grasso et al., 2011).