Abstract

Summary Lysosomal amino acid accumulation is implicated in several diseases, but its role in insulin resistance, the central mechanism to type 2 diabetes and many metabolic diseases, is unclear. In this study, we show the hepatic expression of lysosomal membrane protein solute carrier family 7 member 14 (SLC7A14) is increased in insulin-resistant mice. The promoting effect of SLC7A14 on insulin resistance is demonstrated by loss- and gain-of-function experiments. SLC7A14 is further demonstrated as a transporter resulting in the accumulation of lysosomal γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which induces insulin resistance via inhibiting mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2)’s activity. These results establish a causal link between lysosomal amino acids and insulin resistance and suggest that SLC7A14 inhibition may provide a therapeutic strategy in treating insulin resistance-related and GABA-related diseases and may provide insights into the upstream mechanisms for mTORC2, the master regulator in many important processes.