Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Live Imaging of Microtubule Dynamics in Glioblastoma Cells Invading the Zebrafish Brain
09:29

Live Imaging of Microtubule Dynamics in Glioblastoma Cells Invading the Zebrafish Brain

Published on: July 29, 2022

mTOR signaling in cancer cell motility and tumor metastasis

Hongyu Zhou1, Shile Huang

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, USA.

Critical Reviews in Eukaryotic Gene Expression
|June 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway regulates tumor cell motility, a critical step in cancer metastasis. Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, effectively reduces cell motility and metastasis in vitro and in vivo.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Tumor cell migration is essential for cancer metastasis.
  • The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a key regulator of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and survival.
  • Emerging evidence highlights mTOR's role in controlling tumor cell motility and metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding mTOR signaling in tumor cell motility.
  • To discuss the mechanisms by which rapamycin inhibits cancer cell motility and metastasis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on mTOR signaling and tumor cell motility.
  • Analysis of in vitro and in vivo data regarding rapamycin's effects on cell motility and metastasis.

Main Results:

  • mTOR signaling is a critical regulator of tumor cell motility.
  • Rapamycin effectively inhibits tumor cell motility in vitro.
  • Rapamycin reduces cancer metastasis in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • mTOR pathway plays a significant role in regulating tumor cell migration and metastasis.
  • Rapamycin demonstrates therapeutic potential by inhibiting mTOR-driven cell motility and metastasis.

More Related Videos

Real-Time Quantitative Measurement of Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion Following Synthetic mRNA Transfection11:00

Real-Time Quantitative Measurement of Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion Following Synthetic mRNA Transfection

Published on: June 23, 2023

Exploring the Pharmacological Action and Molecular Mechanism of Salidroside in Inhibiting MCF-7 Cell Proliferation and Migration11:13

Exploring the Pharmacological Action and Molecular Mechanism of Salidroside in Inhibiting MCF-7 Cell Proliferation and Migration

Published on: June 9, 2023

Related Concept Videos

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...
Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However, invadopodia can...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...