TFEB is a master gene for lysosomal biogenesis. It encodes a transcription factor that coordinates expression of lysosomal hydrolases, membrane proteins and genes involved in autophagy. Upon nutrient depletion and under aberrant lysosomal storage conditions such as in lysosomal storage diseases, TFEB translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, resulting in the activation of its target genes. TFEB overexpression in cultured cells induces lysosomal biogenesis, exocytosis and autophagy. TFEB constitutive activation, due to FLCN mutations, drives renal cystogenesis and tumorigenesis in Birt–Hogg–Dubé syndrome.