Regulation of Autophagy by mTOR Signaling Pathway

Autophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, and is closely related to the occurrence of variety of human diseases. It is known that autophagy occurs in response to various environmental stresses such as nutrient deficiency, growth factor deficiency, and hypoxia. Induced autophagy eliminates the damage caused by these stresses and returns to normal levels when the stresses are relieved. To comprehend the induction of autophagy under various stress conditions and the effects of autophagy on the life processes of cells, it is necessary to understand how autophagy is regulated. Many studies have shown that a number of signal transduction pathways are involved in the regulation of autophagy. Among these pathways, some pathways converge at the target of rapamycin (TOR), a highly conserved kinase important for autophagy regulation. This review will focus on the role of TOR signaling pathway in the regulation of autophagy.