Phosphorylation of ULK1 (hATG1) by AMP-activated protein kinase connects energy sensing to mitophagy

Egan DF, Shaw RJ et al. · 2010 · Science · Atlas ID EGA2010

What this study shows

AMPK directly phosphorylates ULK1 to connect energy sensing to autophagy/mitophagy, opposing mTOR.

Abstract

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Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a conserved sensor of intracellular energy activated in response to low nutrient availability and environmental stress. In a screen for conserved substrates of AMPK, we identified ULK1 and ULK2, mammalian orthologs of the yeast protein kinase Atg1, which is required for autophagy. Genetic analysis of AMPK or ULK1 in mammalian liver and Caenorhabditis elegans revealed a requirement for these kinases in autophagy. In mammals, loss of AMPK or ULK1 resulted in aberrant accumulation of the autophagy adaptor p62 and defective mitophagy.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Mammalian cells) rather than a whole-organism health-outcome study. That is often exactly where causal biology gets established -- the code says which system the finding was shown in, and nothing about how good the work is.
Study type	5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model system	Mammalian cells
Journal	Science
Year	2010
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-08-22
Source	DOI 10.1126/science.1196371 · PMID 21205641 · Free full text (PMC3030664)

Extracted findings

Intervention	Genetic/biochemical (AMPK–ULK1)
Target	AMPK / ULK1 / mTORC1
Model	Mammalian cells (+ C. elegans)
Effect	AMPK phosphorylates ULK1 to connect energy sensing to autophagy/mitophagy

Cite this paper

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Egan, D. F., et al. (2010). Phosphorylation of ULK1 (hATG1) by AMP-activated protein kinase connects energy sensing to mitophagy. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1196371

@article{EGA2010,
  author       = {Egan, D. F. and Shaw, R. J. and others},
  title        = {{Phosphorylation of ULK1 (hATG1) by AMP-activated protein kinase connects energy sensing to mitophagy}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {2010},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.1196371},
  note         = {PMID: 21205641},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record EGA2010) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/EGA2010/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_EGA2010,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record EGA2010},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/EGA2010/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}