ULK1 and non-small cell lung carcinoma: In the present study, following the overexpression of ULK1 and co-expression of ULK1 with PEDF in NSCLC cells, confocal microscopy results revealed a punctiform distribution of autophagosomes in cells overexpressing PEDF, while autophagosomes in cells co-expressing PEDF + ULK1 showed a diffuse distribution with a noticeable increase in red spots (Fig. 4D).