In ischemia-reperfusion injury, autophagic effects have been reported as beneficial during ischemia through an AMP-activated protein kinase 1(AMPK)-dependent mechanism, but harmful during reperfusion through a Beclin-1 mechanism, in which Beclin-1 delays autophagosome-lysosome fusion, highlighting autophagy’s role as a double-edged sword in CVDs [7,21]. The gene discussed is BECN1; the disease is ischemia.