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Tor signalling in bugs, brain and brawn

Estela Jacinto1, Michael N Hall

  • 1Division of Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.

Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology
|February 4, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase regulates cell growth in both dividing and non-dividing cells. It controls cellular growth by interacting with regulatory proteins and inhibiting phosphatases.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • The target of rapamycin (TOR) is a highly conserved protein kinase.
  • TOR is a key regulator of cell growth in response to nutrients.
  • TOR is also a target for immunosuppressant and anti-cancer drugs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize the role of TOR in controlling cell growth.
  • To highlight recent findings on TOR's function in non-proliferating cells.
  • To explain the molecular mechanisms by which TOR regulates effector activity.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent findings on TOR.
  • Analysis of TOR's association with regulatory proteins.
  • Investigation of TOR's inhibition of phosphatases.

Main Results:

  • TOR controls the growth of proliferating cells (yeast, fly, mammalian) in response to nutrients.
  • TOR also regulates the growth of non-proliferating cells, including neurons and muscle cells.
  • TOR modulates the activity of multiphosphorylated effectors through protein associations and phosphatase inhibition.

Conclusions:

  • TOR is a central regulator of cell growth across diverse cell types.
  • TOR's function extends beyond proliferating cells to include differentiated, non-proliferating cells.
  • Understanding TOR's regulatory mechanisms is crucial for therapeutic applications in cancer and immunosuppression.

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