Endocrine and amino acid regulation of liver macroautophagy and proteolytic function

Unbalanced and asynchronous shifts in the levels of certain direct regulatory amino acids, specifically a decline in glutamine and an enhancement in leucine and tyrosine levels, are part of in vivo induction and regulation of liver macroautophagy and protein degradation by the physiological process of nutrient deficiency. The proteolytic response is blocked by intraperitoneal administering of glutamine.