title: TOS-sing aside the glycolytic role of HK2/hexokinase-II to activate autophagy.
abstract: Hexokinase is the first enzyme in the glycolytic pathway catalyzing the reaction in which glucose is phosphorylated into glucose-6-phosphate. Mammals possess 4 isoforms of hexokinase; HK2 (hexokinase 2) is the predominant form in insulin-sensitive tissues such as adipocytes, as well as skeletal and cardiac muscle. In addition to its function in glucose metabolism, HK2 is associated with cardiomyocyte protection against mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic cell death; whether or not HK2 played a role in cardioprotective autophagy was yet to be discovered. However, in a recent study highlighted by a punctum in this issue of Autophagy, Roberts et al. addressed this possibility, uncovering a direct link between HK2, TORC1, and autophagy regulation.
authors.affiliation: a Life Sciences Institute and Department of Molecular , Cellular, and Developmental Biology; University of Michigan ; Ann Arbor , MI USA.
authors.forename: Damián
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gatica
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Klionsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000502:physiology; D006593:Hexokinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation
chemical_list: D006593:Hexokinase
keywords: MTORC1; TOR signaling motif; autophagy; cardiomyocytes; hexokinase-II