Home▸Molecular Biology▸Autophagy Simulator: mTOR, LC3 Puncta & Lysosome Fusion

♻️ Autophagy Simulator: mTOR, LC3 Puncta and Lysosome Fusion

Watch a growing phagophore membrane wrap a damaged mitochondrion into an autophagosome, then fuse with a lysosome to recycle it. Tune nutrient state and AMPK signal and see the mTOR gauge and induction rate respond live.

Molecular Biology3DModerate60 FPS

Autophagy is the cell's own recycling program. Watch falling mTOR activity release the ULK1 complex, which nucleates a ring of LC3-tagged membrane patches around a damaged mitochondrion; the patches close into a sealed autophagosome, drift to a lysosome, fuse, and the cargo is broken down and recycled.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

The simulation models the core autophagy pathway: mTOR suppression under nutrient stress triggers phagophore nucleation (LC3 puncta), cup closure into an autophagosome, transport to a lysosome, membrane fusion, and enzymatic degradation of the engulfed cargo.

🎮 How to Use

Pick a nutrient-state preset or drag the AMPK/starvation slider to push mTOR activity down and watch new autophagosomes nucleate faster; the speed slider scales the whole simulation, and auto-rotate keeps the whole cell in frame while you watch a cup close and fuse.

💡 Did You Know?

Yoshinori Ohsumi won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for identifying most of the core autophagy genes using baker's yeast — machinery later found to be conserved almost unchanged in human cells.

⚙ Under the hood

Three.jsautophagycell biologymTORlysosomeInstancedMesh

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install