Activation of autophagy and elevation of glutamine synthesis represent key adaptations to maintain amino acid balance during starvation. In this study, we investigate the role of autophagy and glutamine on the regulation of mTORC1, a critical kinase that regulates cell growth and proliferation. We report that supplementation of glutamine alone is sufficient to restore mTORC1 activity during prolonged amino acid starvation. Inhibition of autophagy abolishes the restorative effect of glutamine, suggesting that reactivation of mTORC1 is autophagy-dependent. Inhibition of glutaminolysis or transamination impairs glutamine-mediated mTORC1 reactivation, suggesting glutamine reactivates mTORC1 specifically through its conversion to glutamate and restoration of non-essential amino acid pool. Despite a persistent drop in essential amino acid pool during amino acid starvation, crosstalk between glutamine and autophagy is sufficient to restore insulin sensitivity of mTORC1. Thus, glutamine metabolism and autophagy constitute a specific metabolic program which restores mTORC1 activity during amino acid starvation.

mTORC1 is a novel and essential mediator of FGF19 action on metabolic and mitogenic programs; thus, the involvement of mTORC1 in FGF19 signaling is an important factor to consider when targeting the pathway for cancer or diabetes therapy. (Hepatology 2016;64:1289-1301).

Aims: Current treatment options for ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) are limited to combination of platinum-based and other cytotoxic agents to which patients respond poorly due to intrinsic chemoresistance. There is therefore an urgent need to develop alternative therapeutic strategies for OCCC. Results: Cysteine deprivation suppresses OCCC growth in vitro and in vivo with no apparent toxicity. Modes of cell death induced by cysteine deprivation in OCCC are determined by their innate metabolic profiles. Cysteinedeprived glycolytic OCCC is abolished primarily by oxidative stress-dependent necrosis and ferroptosis, which can otherwise be prevented by pretreatment with antioxidative agents. Meanwhile, OCCC that relies on mitochondria respiration for its bioenergetics is suppressed through apoptosis, which can otherwise be averted by pretreatment with cysteine precursor alone, but not with antioxidative agents. Cysteine deprivation induces apoptosis in respiring OCCC by limiting iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster synthesis in the mitochondria, without which electron transport chain may be disrupted. Respiring OCCC responds to Fe-S cluster deficit by increasing iron influx into the mitochondria, which leads to iron overload, mitochondria damage, and eventual cell death. Innovation: This study demonstrates the importance of cysteine availability in OCCC that is for its antioxidative property and its less appreciated role in mitochondria respiration. Regardless of OCCC metabolic profiles, cysteine deprivation abolishes both glycolytic and respiring OCCC growth in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion:This study highlights the therapeutic potential of cysteine deprivation for OCCC.

Exercise enhances numerous signalling pathways and activates substrate metabolism in skeletal muscle. Small molecule compounds that activate these cellular responses have been shown to recapitulate the metabolic benefits of exercise. In this study, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, HC toxin, was investigated as a small molecule compound that activates exercise-induced adaptations. In C2C12 myotubes, HC toxin treatment activated two exercise-stimulated pathways: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt pathways. HC toxin increased the protein content and phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 as well as the activation of downstream Akt signalling. The effects of HC toxin on IRS1-Akt signalling were PI3K-dependent as wortmannin abolishes its effects on IRS1 protein accumulation and Akt phosphorylation. HC toxin-induced Akt activation was sufficient to enhance downstream mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signalling including p70S6K and S6, which were consistently abolished by PI3K inhibition. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid oxidation were also enhanced in HC toxin-treated myotubes. When myotubes were challenged with serum starvation for the induction of atrophy, HC toxin treatment prevented the induction of genes that are involved in autophagy and proteasomal proteolysis. Conversely, IRS1-Akt signalling was not induced by HC toxin in several hepatoma cell lines, providing evidence for a favourable safety profile of this small molecule. These data highlight the potential of HDAC inhibitors as a novel class of small molecules for the induction of exercise-like signalling pathways and metabolism.

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