title: mTOR signaling in T cell immunity and autoimmunity.
abstract: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a phosphoinositide-3-kinase-related protein kinase, acts as a rheostat capable of integrating a variety of environmental cues in the form of nutrients, energy, and growth factors to modulate organismal processes and homeostasis. Recently, there is a growing appreciation of mTOR in adaptive immunity for its crucial roles in keeping a proper balance between T cell quiescence and activation. Under steady-state circumstances, mTOR is subtly inhibited by multiple mechanisms to maintain normal T cell homeostasis. Antigen recognition by naïve T cells leads to mTOR activation, which subsequently promotes the differentiation of these cells into distinct effector T cell subsets. This review focuses primarily on the recent literature with respect to the regulatory effects and mechanisms of mTOR signaling in dictating T cell fate, and discusses the therapeutic implications of mTOR modulation in T-cell-mediated autoimmunity.
authors.affiliation: 1School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Da-tong
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xin-guang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007155:Immunologic Factors; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
keywords: T cell immunity; autoimmunity; mTOR