title: Regulation of autophagy by amino acids and MTOR-dependent signal transduction.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.j.meijer@amc.uva.nl.
authors.forename: Alfred J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.affiliation: UPRES EA4530, Université Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, 5 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 92296, Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Blommaart
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, Université Paris Descartes, 14 rue Maria Helena Vieira Da Silva CS61431, 75993, Paris Cedex 14, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Codogno
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
keywords: Glutamine; Leucine; Lysosomes; Mitochondria; Rapamycin