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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

When people are deprived of food, a number of biological mechanisms are set in motion to adapt the body's metabolism to the conditions of scarcity. One of these processes has been revealed by a team of Belgian researchers, led by professor Karolien De Bosscher (VIB-Ghent University). The scientists discovered how three important proteins collaborate on a genetic level to provide a response to long-term fasting. The insights are published in the leading scientific journal Nucleic Acids Research, and could ultimately be put to use in clinical environments to treat metabolic diseases more efficiently.

[...] The researchers uncovered that long-term fasting triggers specific proteins. One of those recognizes the stress hormone cortisol, another one senses the amount of fatty acids (important energy sources), and a third protein called 'AMPK' detects cellular energy. Particularly the discovery of AMPK teaming up with these other sensors within the cell nucleus in a state of food deprivation came as a real surprise.

Prof. Karolien De Bosscher (VIB-Ghent University): "Together with the other proteins, AMPK plays a more direct role than previously assumed. Apart from functioning outside a cell's nucleus as an energy sensor, we found the protein inside the nucleus as well, in a complex with the other two proteins. This complex stimulates the expression of metabolic genes coding for metabolic enzymes, which in turn control the sugar and fat metabolism. In short, AMPK plays a crucial role in a coordinated defense response to food deprivation."

By better understanding the interactions of the three essentials[sic] proteins, the research teams hopes it will eventually be possible to mimic their effect in a controlled environment.

Open access is available to: Abstract, Full Article (HTML), Full Article (PDF), and Supplementary Data.

Original Submission