Withdrawal of Essential Amino Acids Increases Autophagy by a Pathway Involving Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent Kinase Kinase-β (CaMKK-β)

Autophagy is the main lysosomal catabolic process that becomes activated under stress conditions, such as amino acid starvation and cytosolic Ca2+ upload. However, the molecular details on how both conditions control autophagy are still not fully understood. Here we link essential amino acid starvation and Ca2+ in a signaling pathway to activate autophagy. We show that withdrawal of essential amino acids leads to an increase in cytosolic Ca2+, arising from both extracellular medium and intracellular stores, which induces the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) via Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase-β (CaMKK-β). Furthermore, we show that autophagy induced by amino acid starvation requires AMPK, as this induction is attenuated in its absence. Subsequently, AMPK activates UNC-51-like kinase (ULK1), a mammalian autophagy-initiating kinase, through phosphorylation at Ser-555 in a process that requires CaMKK-β. Finally, the mammalian target of rapamycin complex C1 (mTORC1), a negative regulator of autophagy downstream of AMPK, is inhibited by amino acid starvation in a Ca2+-sensitive manner, and CaMKK-β appears to be important for mTORC1 inactivation, especially in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. All these results highlight that amino acid starvation regulates autophagy in part through an increase in cellular Ca2+ that activates a CaMKK-β-AMPK pathway and inhibits mTORC1, which results in ULK1 stimulation. Autophagy is the main lysosomal catabolic process that becomes activated under stress conditions, such as amino acid starvation and cytosolic Ca2+ upload. However, the molecular details on how both conditions control autophagy are still not fully understood. Here we link essential amino acid starvation and Ca2+ in a signaling pathway to activate autophagy. We show that withdrawal of essential amino acids leads to an increase in cytosolic Ca2+, arising from both extracellular medium and intracellular stores, which induces the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) via Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase-β (CaMKK-β). Furthermore, we show that autophagy induced by amino acid starvation requires AMPK, as this induction is attenuated in its absence. Subsequently, AMPK activates UNC-51-like kinase (ULK1), a mammalian autophagy-initiating kinase, through phosphorylation at Ser-555 in a process that requires CaMKK-β. Finally, the mammalian target of rapamycin complex C1 (mTORC1), a negative regulator of autophagy downstream of AMPK, is inhibited by amino acid starvation in a Ca2+-sensitive manner, and CaMKK-β appears to be important for mTORC1 inactivation, especially in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. All these results highlight that amino acid starvation regulates autophagy in part through an increase in cellular Ca2+ that activates a CaMKK-β-AMPK pathway and inhibits mTORC1, which results in ULK1 stimulation.