LC3/Atg8 is first cleaved by Atg4 protease family members resulting in a cytosolic LC3 with a C-terminal glycine residue. The C-terminus is conjugated to the polar head of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in a reaction that requires Atg7 (E1-like), Atg3 (E2-like) and the Atg12-Atg5-Atg16 complex. The lipidated LC3 is localized on both sides of the membrane and released from the outer side upon closure of the autophagosome. In humans, the LC3/Atg8 family contains six members. The components of the LC3 conjugation system are listed with aliases in parentheses, full name and links to gene report pages:

Atg7 (Agp7, Apg7l) – autophagy related 7
Atg3 (Apg3) – autophagy related 3
Map1lc3a (LC3A, ATG8E) – microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 alpha
Map1lc3b (LC3B, ATG8F) – microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta
MAP1LC3C (LC3C,  ATG8J) – microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 gamma (human gene)
Gabarap (ATG8A) – GABA type A receptor-associated protein
Gabarapl1 (ATG8B, ATG8L) – GABA type A receptor associated protein like 1
Gabarapl2 (GATE-16) – GABA type A receptor associated protein like 2