Fig. 1

HLH-30/TFEB regulates lipophagy during starvation in C. elegans. In response to starvation, the nutrient sensor mTOR/LET-363 is inhibited and the transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB is activated and translocates to the nucleus where it upregulates genes from the CLEAR network. This includes genes that are necessary for all three steps of lipophagy, a selective form of autophagy. In the first step of lipophagy, an autophagosome is formed, engulfing a part of a lipid droplet. In the second step, the sealed autophagosome fuses with a lysosome containing acid lipases that degrades the lipids within the autolysosome. In the final step, free fatty acids are released from the autolysosome and can be utilized for energy production by breakdown through β-oxidation. To date, regulation of β-oxidation has only been shown for TFEB and not for HLH-30 per se