Cited by 1,329Autophagy in Disease and TherapyCell death mechanisms and regulationCalcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism

JNK1-Mediated Phosphorylation of Bcl-2 Regulates Starvation-Induced Autophagy

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Wei, Yongjie, Pattingre, Sophie, Sinha, Sangita, Bassik, Michael, Levine, Beth·2008·Molecular Cell

Abstract

Starvation induces autophagy to preserve cellular homeostasis in virtually all eukaryotic organisms. However, the mechanisms by which starvation induces autophagy are not completely understood. In mammalian cells, the antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-2, binds to Beclin 1 during nonstarvation conditions and inhibits its autophagy function. Here we show that starvation induces phosphorylation of cellular Bcl-2 at residues T69, S70, and S87 of the nonstructured loop; Bcl-2 dissociation from Beclin 1; and autophagy activation. In contrast, viral Bcl-2, which lacks the phosphorylation site-containing nonstructured loop, fails to dissociate from Beclin 1 during starvation. Furthermore, the stress-activated signaling molecule, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1 (JNK1), but not JNK2, mediates starvation-induced Bcl-2 phosphorylation, Bcl-2 dissociation from Beclin 1, and autophagy activation. Together, our findings demonstrate that JNK1-mediated multisite phosphorylation of Bcl-2 stimulates starvation-induced autophagy by disrupting the Bcl-2/Beclin 1 complex. These findings define a mechanism that cells use to regulate autophagic activity in response to nutrient status.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.molcel.2008.06.001

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  • Autophagy is induced by the release of BECN1 from BCL2 by pro-apoptotic BH3 proteins, phosphorylation of BECN1 by DAPK at Thr119, or phosphorylation of BCL2 by MAPK8/JNK1 at Thr69, Ser70 and Ser87.

    “Autophagy is induced by the release of BECN1 from BCL2 by pro-apoptotic BH3 proteins, phosphorylation of BECN1 by DAPK (at Thr119, located in the BH3 domain), 426 or phosphorylation of BCL2 by MAPK8/JNK1 (at Thr69, Ser70 and Ser87).427,428”
  • MTOR-independent methods for stimulating autophagy include direct stimulation of AKT and BECN1, activating MAPK8/JNK1 to dissociate BCL2 from BECN1, applying Tat-Beclin 1, SIRT1-associated starvation, and disrupting nonsense-mediated RNA decay.

    “The array of MTOR-independent methods for stimulating autophagy also includes direct stimulation of AKT and BECN1, activating MAPK8/JNK1 to dissociate BCL2 from (and thereby disinhibit) BECN1, applying the synthetic peptide Tat-Beclin 1, SIRT1-associated starvation, and disrupting nonsense-mediated RNA decay [513–517] (Figure 3).”

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Authors
Wei, Y., Pattingre, S., Sinha, S., Bassik, M., & Levine, B.
Affiliations
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
  • Université Paris-Sud (FR)
  • The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Levine, Beth
Venue
Molecular Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-06
Volume
30
Issue
6
Pages
678-688
ISSN
1097-2765 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2121429373
Cited by
1,329
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 99 · 2020: 86 · 2019: 79 · 2018: 80 · 2017: 84 · 2016: 94 · 2015: 91 · 2014: 88 · 2013: 101 · 2012: 89
FWCI
48.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Cancer Institute (R01CA109618, R01CA084254, R01CA108618)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI051367, R21AI078108, R21AI051367)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Cell death mechanisms and regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Physiology › Calcium signaling and nucleotide metabolism
Keywords
JNK1, Bcl-2 phosphorylation, starvation-induced autophagy, Beclin-1, multisite phosphorylation, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, JNK2, nutrient status, stress-activated signaling
MeSH terms
Beclin-1, Autophagy, Binding Sites, Endoplasmic Reticulum, HeLa Cells, Humans, Kinetics, Membrane Proteins, Phosphorylation, Starvation, Viral Proteins, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 8, Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins

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