Homeostatic feedback between lysosomal mTORC1 and mTORC2-AKT signaling controls nutrient uptake in brown adipose tissue

In brown adipose tissue (iBAT), the balance of lipid/glucose uptake and lipolysis is regulated by insulin signaling. Downstream of the insulin receptor, PDK1 and mTORC2 phosphorylate AKT, which activates glucose uptake and lysosomal mTORC1 signaling. The latter requires the late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor and MAPK and mTOR activator (LAMTOR/Ragulator). Deletion of LAMTOR2 (and thereby loss of the LAMTOR complex) in mouse adipocytes resulted in insulin-independent AKT hyperphosphorylation in iBAT, causing increased glucose and fatty acid uptake as evidenced by massively enlarged lipid droplets. As LAMTOR2 was essential for the upregulation of de novo lipogenesis, LAMTOR2 deficiency triggered exogenous glucose storage as glycogen in iBAT. These effects are cell autonomous, since AKT hyperphosphorylation was reversed by PI3K inhibition or by deletion of the mTORC2 component Rictor in LAMTOR2-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts. We identified a homeostatic circuit connecting LAMTOR-mTORC1 signaling with PI3K-mTORC2-AKT signaling downstream of the insulin receptor to maintain iBAT metabolism.