A cyclic scheme representing autophagy oscillatory regulation. (A) In enduring starvation, NEDD4L promotes ULK1 degradation while ULK1 mRNA is actively transcribed. When the autophagy recycling activity makes more nutrients available for protein synthesis, mTOR is reactivated (in conditions of prolonged starvation), and ULK1 mRNA is actively translated upon p70S6K phosphorylation. Then the mTOR kinase function inhibits again the ULK1 protein by phosphorylation, thus making the system ready to respond a putative new stimulus (early starvation), capable to reactivate autophagy. This regulation allows oscillatory autophagy behavior, both preventing excessive autophagy and preparing the cell for a prompt autophagy response upon its reinduction.