👤 Lorenzo Galluzzi

Recently, we reported that saturated and unsaturated fatty acids trigger autophagy through distinct signal transduction pathways. Saturated fatty acids like palmitate (PA) induce autophagic responses that rely on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, catalytic subunit type 3 (PIK3C3, best known as VPS34) and beclin 1 (BECN1). Conversely, unsaturated fatty acids like oleate (OL) promote non-canonical, PIK3C3- and BECN1-independent autophagy. Here, we explored the metabolic effects of autophagy-inducing doses of PA and OL in mice. Mass spectrometry coupled to principal component analysis revealed that PA and OL induce well distinguishable changes in circulating metabolites as well as in the metabolic profile of the liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. Importantly, PA (but not OL) causes the depletion of multiple autophagy-inhibitory amino acids in the liver. Conversely, OL (but not PA) increased the hepatic levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), an obligate co-factor for autophagy-stimulatory enzymes of the sirtuin family. Moreover, PA (but not OL) raised the concentrations of acyl-carnitines in the heart, a phenomenon that perhaps is linked to its cardiotoxicity. PA also depleted the liver from spermine and spermidine, 2 polyamines have been ascribed with lifespan-extending activity. The metabolic changes imposed by unsaturated and saturated fatty acids may contribute to their health-promoting and health-deteriorating effects, respectively. Show less

The induction of autophagy usually requires the activation of PIK3C3/VPS34 (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, catalytic subunit type 3) within a multiprotein complex that contains BECN1 (Beclin 1, autophagy related). PIK3C3 catalyzes the conversion of phosphatidylinositol into phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns3P). PtdIns3P associates with growing phagophores, which recruit components of the autophagic machinery, including the lipidated form of MAP1LC3B/LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 β). Depletion of BECN1, PIK3C3 or some of their interactors suppresses the formation of MAP1LC3B(+) phagophores or autophagosomes elicited by most physiological stimuli, including saturated fatty acids. We observed that cis-unsaturated fatty acids stimulate the generation of cytosolic puncta containing lipidated MAP1LC3B as well as the autophagic turnover of long-lived proteins in the absence of PtdIns3P accumulation. In line with this notion, cis-unsaturated fatty acids require neither BECN1 nor PIK3C3 to stimulate the autophagic flux. Such a BECN1-independent autophagic response is phylogenetically conserved, manifesting in yeast, nematodes, mice and human cells. Importantly, MAP1LC3B(+) puncta elicited by cis-unsaturated fatty acids colocalize with Golgi apparatus markers. Moreover, the structural and functional collapse of the Golgi apparatus induced by brefeldin A inhibits cis-unsaturated fatty acid-triggered autophagy. It is tempting to speculate that the well-established health-promoting effects of cis-unsaturated fatty acids are linked to their unusual capacity to stimulate noncanonical, BECN1-independent autophagic responses. Show less

To obtain mechanistic insights into the cross talk between lipolysis and autophagy, two key metabolic responses to starvation, we screened the autophagy-inducing potential of a panel of fatty acids in human cancer cells. Both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids such as palmitate and oleate, respectively, triggered autophagy, but the underlying molecular mechanisms differed. Oleate, but not palmitate, stimulated an autophagic response that required an intact Golgi apparatus. Conversely, autophagy triggered by palmitate, but not oleate, required AMPK, PKR and JNK1 and involved the activation of the BECN1/PIK3C3 lipid kinase complex. Accordingly, the downregulation of BECN1 and PIK3C3 abolished palmitate-induced, but not oleate-induced, autophagy in human cancer cells. Moreover, Becn1(+/-) mice as well as yeast cells and nematodes lacking the ortholog of human BECN1 mounted an autophagic response to oleate, but not palmitate. Thus, unsaturated fatty acids induce a non-canonical, phylogenetically conserved, autophagic response that in mammalian cells relies on the Golgi apparatus. Show less

There is a growing interest in determining the genetic predictors of plasma lipid response to diet intervention. Several candidate gene loci, namely, apolipoprotein (APO) A1, APOA4, APOC3, APOB, APOE, CETP, LPL, and FABP2, have been shown to explain a significant, but still rather small, proportion of the interindividual variability in dietary response. Other gene loci code for products that play a relevant role in lipoprotein metabolism and are prime candidates for future studies (ie, CYP7). Future progress in this complex area will come from experiments carried out using animal models and from carefully controlled dietary protocols in humans. Show less