Hamacher-Brady et al. demonstrated that enhancing autophagy through overexpression of Beclin-1 can actually protect myocardial cells from ischemia-reperfusion injury, while decreasing Beclin-1 expression reduces rational cardiac remodeling.48,49 Bcl-2 family proteins can inhibit Beclin-1‘s ability to promote autophagy after binding with Beclin-1. Here, BECN1 is linked to ischemia.