Regulation of autophagy by p38α MAPK

Autophagy is induced in mammalian cells by nutrient deprivation, which acts through repression of the protein kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and may involve other unknown mechanisms. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and in particular p38 MAPK, are implicated in amino acid signalling. Furthermore, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 regulate autophagy in response to various stimuli. However, the molecular mechanisms of p38 regulation of autophagy are still widely unknown. Our recent data suggest that p38α MAPK negatively regulates the interaction of mAtg9 and a novel mAtg9 binding partner, p38IP, to control the levels of autophagy induced in response to starvation.