CASPASE 8 initiates apoptosis downstream of TNF death receptors by undergoing autocleavage and processing the executioner CASPASE 31. However, the dominant function of CASPASE 8 is to transmit a pro-survival signal that suppresses programmed necrosis (or necroptosis) mediated by RIPK1 and RIPK32–6 during embryogenesis and hematopoiesis7–9. Suppression of necrotic cell death by CASPASE 8 requires its catalytic activity but not the autocleavage essential for apoptosis10, however, the key substrate processed by CASPASE 8 to block necrosis has been elusive. A key substrate must meet three criteria: (1) it must be essential for programmed necrosis; (2) it must be cleaved by CASPASE 8 in situations where CASPASE 8 is blocking necrosis; and (3) mutation of the CASPASE 8 processing site on the substrate should convert a pro-survival response to necrotic death without the need for CASPASE 8 inhibition. We now identify CYLD as a novel substrate for CASPASE 8 that satisfies these criteria. Upon TNF stimulation, CASPASE 8 cleaves CYLD to generate a survival signal. In contrast, loss of CASPASE 8 prevented CYLD degradation resulting in necrotic death. A CYLD substitution mutation at D215 that cannot be cleaved by CASPASE 8 switches cell survival to necrotic cell death in response to TNF.

No abstract

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that contributes to maintain cell homeostasis. Although it is strongly regulated by many extracellular factors, induction of autophagy is mainly produced by starvation of nutrients. In mammalian cells, the regulation of autophagy by amino acids, and also by the hormone insulin, has been extensively investigated, but knowledge about the effects of other autophagy regulators, including another nutrient, glucose, is more limited. Here we will focus on the signalling pathways by which environmental glucose directly, i.e., independently of insulin and glucagon, regulates autophagy in mammalian cells, but we will also briefly mention some data in yeast. Although glucose deprivation mainly induces autophagy via AMPK activation and the subsequent inhibition of mTORC1, we will also comment other signalling pathways, as well as evidences indicating that, under certain conditions, autophagy can be activated by glucose. A better understanding on how glucose regulates autophagy not only will expand our basic knowledge of this important cell process, but it will be also relevant to understand common human disorders, such as cancer and diabetes, in which glucose levels play an important role.

Autophagy is a natural process of 'self-eating' that occurs within cells and can be either pro-survival or can cause cell death. As a pro-survival mechanism, autophagy obtains energy by recycling cellular components such as macromolecules or organelles. In response to nutrient deprivation, e.g. depletion of amino acids or serum, autophagy is induced and most of these signals converge on the kinase mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin). It is commonly accepted that glucose inhibits autophagy, since its deprivation from cells cultured in full medium induces autophagy by a mechanism involving AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), mTOR and Ulk1. However, we show in the present study that under starvation conditions addition of glucose produces the opposite effect. Specifically, the results of the present study demonstrate that the presence of glucose induces an increase in the levels of LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain)-II, in the number and volume density of autophagic vacuoles and in protein degradation by autophagy. Addition of glucose also increases intracellular ATP, which is in turn necessary for the induction of autophagy because the glycolysis inhibitor oxamate inhibits it, and there is also a good correlation between LC3-II and ATP levels. Moreover, we also show that, surprisingly, the induction of autophagy by glucose is independent of AMPK and mTOR and mainly relies on p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase).