All systems ↗AMPK reads energetic strain
Rising AMP/ADP relative to ATP and upstream kinase signals activate AMPK, which supports ATP-producing processes and restrains selected ATP-consuming ones.
CELLULAR ENERGY / 08
Cells choose between building and renewal.
AMPK, mTOR complexes, insulin/growth-factor signals, amino-acid sensing, oxygen responses, and lysosomal machinery coordinate energy production, biosynthesis, growth, recycling, and mitochondrial quality.
mTORC1 integrates sufficiency
Amino acids recruit regulatory machinery at lysosomes while growth factors, energy, and oxygen signals converge on mTORC1 activity.
Anabolism is coordinated
Active mTORC1 supports protein, lipid, and nucleotide synthesis and inhibits parts of the autophagy-initiation program.
Context prevents a binary switch
AMPK and mTORC1 can vary by compartment and time. Different mTOR complexes and downstream targets have distinct roles.
ULK1 helps initiate recycling
AMPK can activate and mTORC1 can inhibit ULK1-related machinery, linking energy and nutrient status to autophagosome formation.
Lysosomes recover components
Autophagic cargo fuses with lysosomal compartments where macromolecules are degraded and building blocks can return to metabolism.
Mitophagy selects organelle material
Damage and membrane-state signals can target mitochondrial portions for turnover. Biogenesis must balance loss over time.
Fission and fusion reshape the network
Mitochondria divide, reconnect, move, and exchange content. Morphology is adaptive and cannot be graded as universally good or bad.