title: Nutrient-sensing mechanisms and pathways.
abstract: The ability to sense and respond to fluctuations in environmental nutrient levels is a requisite for life. Nutrient scarcity is a selective pressure that has shaped the evolution of most cellular processes. Different pathways that detect intracellular and extracellular levels of sugars, amino acids, lipids and surrogate metabolites are integrated and coordinated at the organismal level through hormonal signals. During food abundance, nutrient-sensing pathways engage anabolism and storage, whereas scarcity triggers homeostatic mechanisms, such as the mobilization of internal stores through autophagy. Nutrient-sensing pathways are commonly deregulated in human metabolic diseases.
authors.affiliation: 1] Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. [2] Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [3] David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [4] Broad Institute, Seven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
authors.forename: Alejo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Efeyan
authors.affiliation: 1] Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. [2] Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [3] David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [4] Broad Institute, Seven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Comb
authors.affiliation: 1] Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. [2] Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [3] David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. [4] Broad Institute, Seven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. [5] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sabatini
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005947:Glucose