title: Targeting the mTOR signaling network for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
abstract: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a highly conserved serine/threonine kinase that can sense environmental stimuli such as growth factors, energy state, and nutrients. It is essential for cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism, but dysregulation of mTOR signaling pathway is also associated with a number of human diseases. Encouraging data from experiments have provided sufficient evidence for the relationship between the mTOR signaling pathway and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Upregulation of mTOR signaling pathway is thought to play an important role in major pathological processes of AD. The mTOR inhibitors such as rapamycin have been proven to ameliorate the AD-like pathology and cognitive deficits effectively in a broad range of animal models. Application of mTOR inhibitors indicates the potential value of reducing mTOR activity as an innovative therapeutic strategy for AD. In this review, we will focus on the recent process in understanding mTOR signaling pathway and the vital involvement of this signaling pathway in the pathology of AD, and discuss the application of mTOR inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
authors.forename: Chong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jin-Tai
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Zhong-Chen
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Meng-Shan
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus