ULK1 and progeroid syndrome: For example, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, loss-of-function mutations in autophagy genes (Atg), including Atg1/unc-51 (uncoordinated), Atg18/atg18, and Atg6/bec-1 (beclin 1 homologue), cause progeria and lifespan shortening [7,8,9,10,11,12].