The mycotoxin alternariol (AOH), a frequent contaminant in fruit and grain, is known to induce cellular stress responses such as reactive oxygen production, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. Cellular stress is often connected to autophagy, and we employed the RAW264.7 macrophage model to test the hypothesis that AOH induces autophagy. Indeed, AOH treatment led to a massive increase in acidic va...

BACKGROUND The chronic activation of the mechanistic (mammalian) target of rapamycin in complex 1 (mTORC1) in response to excess nutrients contributes to obesity-associated pathologies. OBJECTIVE To understand the initial events that ultimately lead to obesity-associated pathologies, the present study assessed mTORC1 responses in the liver after a relatively short exposure to a high-fat diet ...

Dysregulated metabolic signaling leading to increased mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity has been associated with cancer, neurodegeneration, and an acceleration of the aging process [1]. Aging is characterized by a systemic decline of metabolic processes, including amino acid metabolism, that results in a steady accumulation of the nonproteinogenic amino acid homocystei...