The multiple facets of mTOR in immunity.
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an evolutionarily conserved serine-threonine kinase that is known to sense the environmental and cellular nutrition status to control cell growth. In immunity, mTOR is essential for both the proper activation and subsequent proliferation of effector T cells, yet also restrains the development of regulatory T cells. However, in monocytes/macrophages and peripheral myeloid dendritic cells, mTOR restricts proinflammatory and promotes anti-inflammatory responses, whereas, in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, mTOR fosters type I interferon production. These results place mTOR in a novel immunoregulatory context that highlights the potential of mTOR inhibitors as both immunosuppressant and anti-cancer agents.
Department of Internal Medicine III, Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18 - 20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. thomas.weichhart@meduniwien.ac.at
Thomas
T
Weichhart
Marcus D
MD
Säemann
D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000502:physiology; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
D011494:Protein Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases