Regulation of autophagy by amino acids and MTOR-dependent signal transduction

• Published in: Amino acids Vol. 47; no. 10; pp. 2037 - 2063
• Main Authors: Meijer, Alfred J, Lorin, Séverine, Blommaart, Edward F, Codogno, Patrice
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amino acids; Amino Acids - metabolism; Analytical Chemistry; Animals; Autophagy; Biochemical Engineering; biochemical pathways; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell survival; cell viability; Control; etiology; Humans; Life Sciences; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Neurobiology; Organelles; Pathology; Pathways; proteins; Proteomics; Rapamycin; Redundant; Review; Review Article; Signal Transduction; Stimulation; Survival; TOR protein; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Lysosomes; Mitochondria; Rapamycin; Leucine; Glutamine
• ISSN: 0939-4451; 1438-2199; 1438-2199
• DOI: 10.1007/s00726-014-1765-4

Amino acids not only participate in intermediary metabolism but also stimulate insulin-mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR)-mediated signal transduction which controls the major metabolic pathways. Among these is the pathway of autophagy which takes care of the degradation of long-lived proteins and of the elimination of damaged or functionally redundant organelles. Proper functioning of this process is essential for cell survival. Dysregulation of autophagy has been implicated in the etiology of several pathologies. The history of the studies on the interrelationship between amino acids, MTOR signaling and autophagy is the subject of this review. The mechanisms responsible for the stimulation of MTOR-mediated signaling, and the inhibition of autophagy, by amino acids have been studied intensively in the past but are still not completely clarified. Recent developments in this field are discussed.