Oliver's mTOR Atlas Evidence Platform
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AMPK and mTOR regulate autophagy through direct phosphorylation of Ulk1

Kim J, Kundu M, Viollet B, Guan KL · 2011 · Nature Cell Biology · Atlas ID KIM2011

What this study shows

Revealed the tug-of-war over ULK1: the energy sensor AMPK phosphorylates ULK1 at activating sites to turn autophagy ON when energy is low, while mTORC1 phosphorylates a different site (Ser757) to keep it OFF and even blocks AMPK from reaching ULK1. Two opposing kinases wired to the same switch.

Abstract

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Autophagy is a process by which components of the cell are degraded to maintain essential activity and viability in response to nutrient limitation. Extensive genetic studies have shown that the yeast ATG1 kinase has an essential role in autophagy induction. Furthermore, autophagy is promoted by AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a key energy sensor and regulates cellular metabolism to maintain energy homeostasis. Conversely, autophagy is inhibited by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central cell-growth regulator that integrates growth factor and nutrient signals.

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: Human/mouse 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 type5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model systemHuman/mouse cells
JournalNature Cell Biology
Year2011
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-08-22
SourceDOI 10.1038/ncb2152 · PMID 21258367 · Free full text (PMC3987946)

Extracted findings

InterventionGenetic/biochemical (AMPK, mTOR, ULK1)
TargetAMPK / mTOR / ULK1
ModelHuman/mouse cells
EffectAMPK and mTOR reciprocally phosphorylate ULK1 to regulate autophagy

In the Atlas

Related topics

ULK1mTORC1AutophagyAMPK

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Cite this paper

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Kim, J., Kundu, M., Viollet, B., & Guan, K. L. (2011). AMPK and mTOR regulate autophagy through direct phosphorylation of Ulk1. Nature Cell Biology. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb2152

@article{KIM2011,
  author       = {Kim, J. and Kundu, M. and Viollet, B. and Guan, K. L.},
  title        = {{AMPK and mTOR regulate autophagy through direct phosphorylation of Ulk1}},
  journal      = {Nature Cell Biology},
  year         = {2011},
  doi          = {10.1038/ncb2152},
  note         = {PMID: 21258367},
}

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 KIM2011) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/KIM2011/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_KIM2011,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record KIM2011},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/KIM2011/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}