| Structural highlights
Function
MTOR_HUMAN Serine/threonine protein kinase which is a central regulator of cellular metabolism, growth and survival in response to hormones, growth factors, nutrients, energy and stress signals. Functions as part of 2 structurally and functionally distinct signaling complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2 (mTOR complex 1 and 2). Activated mTORC1 up-regulates protein synthesis by phosphorylating key regulators of mRNA translation and ribosome synthesis. This includes phosphorylation of EIF4EBP1 and release of its inhibition toward the elongation initiation factor 4E (eiF4E). Moreover, phosphorylates and activates RPS6KB1 and RPS6KB2 that promote protein synthesis by modulating the activity of their downstream targets including ribosomal protein S6, eukaryotic translation initiation factor EIF4B and the inhibitor of translation initiation PDCD4. Regulates ribosome synthesis by activating RNA polymerase III-dependent transcription through phosphorylation and inhibition of MAF1 a RNA polymerase III-repressor. In parallel to protein synthesis, also regulates lipid synthesis through SREBF1/SREBP1 and LPIN1. To maintain energy homeostasis mTORC1 may also regulate mitochondrial biogenesis through regulation of PPARGC1A. mTORC1 also negatively regulates autophagy through phosphorylation of ULK1. Under nutrient sufficiency, phosphorylates ULK1 at 'Ser-758', disrupting the interaction with AMPK and preventing activation of ULK1. Also prevents autophagy through phosphorylation of the autophagy inhibitor DAP. mTORC1 exerts a feedback control on upstream growth factor signaling that includes phosphorylation and activation of GRB10 a INSR-dependent signaling suppressor. Among other potential targets mTORC1 may phosphorylate CLIP1 and regulate microtubules. As part of the mTORC2 complex MTOR may regulate other cellular processes including survival and organization of the cytoskeleton. Plays a critical role in the phosphorylation at 'Ser-473' of AKT1, a pro-survival effector of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, facilitating its activation by PDK1. mTORC2 may regulate the actin cytoskeleton, through phosphorylation of PRKCA, PXN and activation of the Rho-type guanine nucleotide exchange factors RHOA and RAC1A or RAC1B. mTORC2 also regulates the phosphorylation of SGK1 at 'Ser-422'.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein kinase forms two multiprotein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, that function in distinct signaling pathways. mTORC1 is regulated by nutrients, and mTORC2 is a central node in phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) and small guanosine triphosphate Ras signaling networks commonly deregulated in cancer and diabetes. Although mTOR phosphorylates many substrates in vitro, in cells, mTORC1 and mTORC2 have high specificity: mTORC2 phosphorylates the protein kinases Akt and PKC, but not closely related kinases that are mTORC1 substrates. To understand how mTORC2 recognizes substrates, we created semisynthetic probes to trap the mTORC2 :: Akt complex and determine its structure. Whereas most protein kinases recognize amino acids adjacent to the phosphorylation site, local sequence contributes little to substrate recognition by mTORC2. Instead, the specificity determinants were secondary and tertiary structural elements of Akt that bound the mTORC2 component mSin1 distal to the mTOR active site and were conserved among at least 18 related substrates. These results reveal how mTORC2 recognizes its canonical substrates and may enable the design of mTORC2-specific inhibitors.
Structural basis for the recruitment and selective phosphorylation of Akt by mTORC2.,Taylor MS, Chen M, Hancock M, Wranik M, Miller BD, O'Meara TR, Palanski BA, Ficarro SB, Groendyke BJ, Xiang Y, Kondo KT, Linde-Garelli KY, Lee MJ, Mondal D, Freund D, Congreve S, Matas K, Hennink M, Xibinaku K, Valenstein ML, van Eeuwen T, Marto JA, Sali A, Shi Y, Gray NS, Sabatini DM, Chu N, Rogala KB, Cole PA Science. 2026 Mar 5;391(6789):eadv7111. doi: 10.1126/science.adv7111. Epub 2026 , Mar 5. PMID:41308123[17]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
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- ↑ Hara K, Maruki Y, Long X, Yoshino K, Oshiro N, Hidayat S, Tokunaga C, Avruch J, Yonezawa K. Raptor, a binding partner of target of rapamycin (TOR), mediates TOR action. Cell. 2002 Jul 26;110(2):177-89. PMID:12150926
- ↑ Choi JH, Bertram PG, Drenan R, Carvalho J, Zhou HH, Zheng XF. The FKBP12-rapamycin-associated protein (FRAP) is a CLIP-170 kinase. EMBO Rep. 2002 Oct;3(10):988-94. Epub 2002 Sep 13. PMID:12231510 doi:10.1093/embo-reports/kvf197
- ↑ Park IH, Bachmann R, Shirazi H, Chen J. Regulation of ribosomal S6 kinase 2 by mammalian target of rapamycin. J Biol Chem. 2002 Aug 30;277(35):31423-9. Epub 2002 Jun 26. PMID:12087098 doi:10.1074/jbc.M204080200
- ↑ Inoki K, Zhu T, Guan KL. TSC2 mediates cellular energy response to control cell growth and survival. Cell. 2003 Nov 26;115(5):577-90. PMID:14651849
- ↑ Kim DH, Sarbassov DD, Ali SM, Latek RR, Guntur KV, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Sabatini DM. GbetaL, a positive regulator of the rapamycin-sensitive pathway required for the nutrient-sensitive interaction between raptor and mTOR. Mol Cell. 2003 Apr;11(4):895-904. PMID:12718876
- ↑ Sarbassov DD, Ali SM, Kim DH, Guertin DA, Latek RR, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Sabatini DM. Rictor, a novel binding partner of mTOR, defines a rapamycin-insensitive and raptor-independent pathway that regulates the cytoskeleton. Curr Biol. 2004 Jul 27;14(14):1296-302. PMID:15268862 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2004.06.054
- ↑ Brugarolas J, Lei K, Hurley RL, Manning BD, Reiling JH, Hafen E, Witters LA, Ellisen LW, Kaelin WG Jr. Regulation of mTOR function in response to hypoxia by REDD1 and the TSC1/TSC2 tumor suppressor complex. Genes Dev. 2004 Dec 1;18(23):2893-904. Epub 2004 Nov 15. PMID:15545625 doi:10.1101/gad.1256804
- ↑ Jacinto E, Loewith R, Schmidt A, Lin S, Ruegg MA, Hall A, Hall MN. Mammalian TOR complex 2 controls the actin cytoskeleton and is rapamycin insensitive. Nat Cell Biol. 2004 Nov;6(11):1122-8. Epub 2004 Oct 3. PMID:15467718 doi:10.1038/ncb1183
- ↑ Sarbassov DD, Guertin DA, Ali SM, Sabatini DM. Phosphorylation and regulation of Akt/PKB by the rictor-mTOR complex. Science. 2005 Feb 18;307(5712):1098-101. PMID:15718470 doi:307/5712/1098
- ↑ Garcia-Martinez JM, Alessi DR. mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) controls hydrophobic motif phosphorylation and activation of serum- and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 1 (SGK1). Biochem J. 2008 Dec 15;416(3):375-85. doi: 10.1042/BJ20081668. PMID:18925875 doi:10.1042/BJ20081668
- ↑ Porstmann T, Santos CR, Griffiths B, Cully M, Wu M, Leevers S, Griffiths JR, Chung YL, Schulze A. SREBP activity is regulated by mTORC1 and contributes to Akt-dependent cell growth. Cell Metab. 2008 Sep;8(3):224-36. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2008.07.007. PMID:18762023 doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2008.07.007
- ↑ Sancak Y, Peterson TR, Shaul YD, Lindquist RA, Thoreen CC, Bar-Peled L, Sabatini DM. The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1. Science. 2008 Jun 13;320(5882):1496-501. doi: 10.1126/science.1157535. Epub 2008 , May 22. PMID:18497260 doi:10.1126/science.1157535
- ↑ Koren I, Reem E, Kimchi A. DAP1, a novel substrate of mTOR, negatively regulates autophagy. Curr Biol. 2010 Jun 22;20(12):1093-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.04.041. Epub 2010, May 27. PMID:20537536 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2010.04.041
- ↑ Michels AA, Robitaille AM, Buczynski-Ruchonnet D, Hodroj W, Reina JH, Hall MN, Hernandez N. mTORC1 directly phosphorylates and regulates human MAF1. Mol Cell Biol. 2010 Aug;30(15):3749-57. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00319-10. Epub 2010 Jun , 1. PMID:20516213 doi:10.1128/MCB.00319-10
- ↑ Hsu PP, Kang SA, Rameseder J, Zhang Y, Ottina KA, Lim D, Peterson TR, Choi Y, Gray NS, Yaffe MB, Marto JA, Sabatini DM. The mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome reveals a mechanism of mTORC1-mediated inhibition of growth factor signaling. Science. 2011 Jun 10;332(6035):1317-22. doi: 10.1126/science.1199498. PMID:21659604 doi:10.1126/science.1199498
- ↑ Taylor MS, Chen M, Hancock M, Wranik M, Miller BD, O'Meara TR, Palanski BA, Ficarro SB, Groendyke BJ, Xiang Y, Kondo KT, Linde-Garelli KY, Lee MJ, Mondal D, Freund D, Congreve S, Matas K, Hennink M, Xibinaku K, Valenstein ML, van Eeuwen T, Marto JA, Sali A, Shi Y, Gray NS, Sabatini DM, Chu N, Rogala KB, Cole PA. Structural basis for the recruitment and selective phosphorylation of Akt by mTORC2. Science. 2026 Mar 5;391(6789):eadv7111. PMID:41308123 doi:10.1126/science.adv7111
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