Regulation of VPS34 Kinase in Response to Starvation

细胞对营养物质可用性变化的反应能力对于维持促进生存和平衡能量消耗与摄入至关重要。细胞在饥饿状态下产生能量的最重要方式之一是激活一种称为自噬的过程（字面意思是“自食”）。在这个过程中，细胞降解其内部的一小部分，以产生生存所需的营养物质。在这个过程中最重要的酶之一是脂质激酶VPS34，其磷酸化形成破坏性自噬囊泡所需的脂质。我们最近发现，在另一种称为内体的囊泡上，VPS34对脂质的磷酸化也是饥饿条件下生存所必需的。这是非常有趣的，因为内体没有直接产生能量的方式或已知的减少能量消耗的方式。

The ability of cells to respond to changes in nutrient availability is essential for the maintenance of promoting survival and balancing energy expenditure with intake. One of the most important ways for cells to generate energy under starvation is to activate a process called autophagy (literally meaning “self-eating”). In this process the cell degrades a small portion of its interior to generate nutrients required for survival. One of the most important enzymes in this process is the lipid kinase VPS34, which phosphorylates lipids required for the formation of the destructive autophagic vesicle. We have recently discovered that the phosphorylation of lipids by VPS34 on another vesicle called the endosome is also required for survival under starvation. This is quite interesting as the endosome has no direct way of generating energy or known way of reducing energy expenditure.