Reuben J. Shaw
Linked the LKB1–AMPK energy-sensing pathway to mTOR
PhD, MIT (advisor: Tyler Jacks) · postdoc with Lewis Cantley, Harvard Medical School · Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Portrait: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Reuben Shaw did his postdoctoral work with Lewis Cantley at Harvard, where in 2004 he showed that the LKB1 tumour suppressor — mutated in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and in many lung cancers — directly activates AMPK, the cell's central energy-sensing enzyme. That discovery placed a major cancer gene squarely inside the pathway that senses whether a cell has enough energy to grow.
Since starting his own lab, now at the Salk Institute, Shaw has shown that AMPK directly phosphorylates raptor and TSC2 to shut down mTORC1 when cellular energy is low, and that the diabetes drug metformin works partly through this same LKB1–AMPK–mTOR axis. His work ties energy stress, tumour suppression and mTOR signalling into a single, coherent pathway.
The timeline below follows Shaw's contributions gathered in this Atlas.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | M | The tumor suppressor LKB1 kinase directly activates AMP-activated kinase and regulates apoptosis in response to energy stress SHW2004 Shows the LKB1 tumour suppressor directly activates AMPK, linking a major cancer gene to energy-stress signalling. |
| 2008 | M | AMPK phosphorylation of raptor mediates a metabolic checkpoint GWI2008 Shows AMPK phosphorylates raptor directly, creating a metabolic checkpoint that shuts down mTORC1 under energy stress. |
| 2010 | M | Phosphorylation of ULK1 (hATG1) by AMP-activated protein kinase connects energy sensing to mitophagy EGA2010 AMPK directly phosphorylates ULK1 to connect energy sensing to autophagy/mitophagy, opposing mTOR. |
| 2017 | M | Metformin Inhibits Hepatic mTORC1 Signaling via Dose-Dependent Mechanisms Involving AMPK and the TSC Complex HOW2017 Shows metformin inhibits hepatic mTORC1 signalling through dose-dependent mechanisms involving AMPK. |
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Reuben J. Shaw is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- past Prague Metabolism and Signaling Symposium 2026 ↗ 24–27 Jun 2026 · Prague, Czech Republic · Tier 1
- past Keystone: Mitochondria Signaling in Physiology and Disease 2026 ↗ 9–12 Feb 2026 · Keystone, Colorado, USA · Tier 3