The neurology of mTOR.
The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is a crucial cellular signaling hub that, like the nervous system itself, integrates internal and external cues to elicit critical outputs including growth control, protein synthesis, gene expression, and metabolic balance. The importance of mTOR signaling to brain function is underscored by the myriad disorders in which mTOR pathway dysfunction is implicated, such as autism, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders. Pharmacological manipulation of mTOR signaling holds therapeutic promise and has entered clinical trials for several disorders. Here, we review the functions of mTOR signaling in the normal and pathological brain, highlighting ongoing efforts to translate our understanding of cellular physiology into direct medical benefit for neurological disorders.
F.M. Kirby Center for Neurobiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Jonathan O
JO
Lipton
F.M. Kirby Center for Neurobiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: mustafa.sahin@childrens.harvard.edu.
Mustafa
M
Sahin
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases