Abstract IA02: Regulation of growth by the mTOR pathway

Abstract

Abstract mTOR is the target of the immunosuppressive and anti-cancer drug rapamycin and the central component of a nutrient- and hormone-sensitive signaling pathway that regulates cell growth and proliferation. We now appreciate that this pathway becomes deregulated in many human cancers and has key roles in the control of metabolism, cell and organ size, and aging. We have identified two distinct mTOR-containing proteins complexes, one of which regulates growth through S6K and another that regulates cell survival and metabolism through Akt. These complexes, called mTORC1 and mTORC2, define both rapamycin-sensitive and insensitive branches of the mTOR pathway. Over the last few years we have focused on how nutrients, particularly amino acids, regulate mTORC1. We have identified a complex signaling pathway that relays amino acid availability to mTORC1 through the heterodimeric Rag GTPases. We recently discovered several of the amino acid sensors for the pathway. I will discuss new results from our lab on the regulation and functions of mTORC1. Citation Format: David M. Sabatini. Regulation of growth by the mTOR pathway. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Control of Cancer: A New Frontier in Cancer Biology and Therapy; 2016 Oct 27-30; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(6 Suppl):Abstract nr IA02.