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Leucine nutrition in animals and humans: mTOR signaling and beyond

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Abstract

Macronutrients, such as protein or amino acid, not only supply calories but some components may also play as signaling molecules to affect feeding behavior, energy balance, and fuel efficiency. Leucine, a branched-chain amino acid is a good example. After structural roles are satisfied, the ability of leucine to function as signal and oxidative substrate is based on a sufficient intracellular concentration. Therefore, leucine level must be sufficiently high to play the signaling and metabolic roles. Leucine is not only a substrate for protein synthesis of skeletal muscle, but also plays more roles beyond that. Leucine activates signaling factor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) to promote protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and in adipose tissue. It is also a major regulator of the mTOR sensitive response of food intake to high protein diet. Meanwhile, leucine regulates blood glucose level by promoting gluconeogenesis and aids in the retention of lean mass in a hypocaloric state. It is beneficial to animal nutrition and clinical application and extrapolation to humans.

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Abbreviations

AA:

Amino acid

AgRP:

Agouti-related protein

AMPK:

AMP-activated protein kinase

BCAA:

Branched-chain amino acid

BCATm:

Mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase

BW:

Body weight

4E-BP1:

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1

mTOR:

Mammalian target of rapamycin

mTORC1:

mTOR complex 1

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

PI3K:

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

S6K1:

Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1

UCP3:

Uncoupling protein 3

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Acknowledgements

This study was jointly supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Knowledge Innovation Project (KZCX2-EW-412; Y022042020; KSCX2-YW-N-0221; KSCX2-SW-323; KZCX2-YW-T07; KZCX2-EW-QN411); National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB118800); NSFC (31001015; 31001016 and 31072042; 30901040; 30901041; 30928018) and the Project of Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISACX-LYQY-QN-1104).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan, 410125, China

    Fengna Li, Yulong Yin, Bie Tan & Xiangfeng Kong

  2. Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Guoyao Wu

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  1. Fengna Li
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Correspondence to Yulong Yin.

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Li, F., Yin, Y., Tan, B. et al. Leucine nutrition in animals and humans: mTOR signaling and beyond. Amino Acids 41, 1185–1193 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-011-0983-2

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