Inositol triphosphate signaling triggers lysosome biogenesis via calcium release from endoplasmic reticulum stores.

Lysosomes serve as cellular degradation and signaling centers that coordinate the turnover of macromolecules with cell metabolism. The adaptation of cellular lysosome content and activity via the induction of lysosome biogenesis is therefore key to cell physiology and to counteract disease. Previous work has established a pathway for the induction of lysosome biogenesis in signaling-inactive starved cells that is based on the repression of mTORC1-mediated nutrient signaling. How lysosomal biogenesis is facilitated in signaling-active fed cells is poorly understood. A recent study by Malek et al (Malek et al, 2022) partially fills this gap by unraveling a nutrient signaling-independent pathway for lysosome biogenesis that operates in signaling-active cells. This pathway involves the receptor-mediated activation of phospholipase C, inositol (1,4,5)-triphosphate (IP₃)-triggered release of calcium ions from endoplasmic reticulum stores, and the calcineurin-induced activation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and its relative TFE3 to induce lysosomal gene expression independent of calcium in the lysosome lumen. These findings contribute to our understanding of how lysosome biogenesis and function are controlled in response to environmental changes and cell signaling and may conceivably be of relevance for our understanding and the treatment of lysosome-related diseases as well as for aging and neurodegeneration.