AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of ULK1 induces autophagy

Cell Metab. 2011 Feb 2;13(2):119-20. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2011.01.009.

Abstract

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved cellular energy sensor that plays a central role in metabolic homeostasis. A recent study in Science (Egan et al., 2011) identifies ULK1 as a substrate for AMPK phosphorylation, a modification required for selective autophagy of mitochondria and cell survival during starvation.