The role of the TOR pathway in mediating the link between nutrition and longevity.
The target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway integrates signals from extracellular and intracellular agents, such as growth factors, nutrients, mediators of energy balance, oxygen availability and other environmental cues. It allows the regulation of multiple cellular processes including protein and lipid synthesis, ribosome biogenesis, autophagy and metabolic processes. Being conserved across different phyla, TOR regulates longevity of various organisms in response to dietary conditions. In this review we described the main components of the TOR pathway and its upstream effectors and downstream processes in relation to aging. The potential contribution of the TOR pathway in lifespan-extending effects of varied dietary interventions, and the anti-aging drugs rapamycin and metformin direct or indirect regulation of TOR activity in yeasts, worms, flies and mammals are also discussed.
Biochemistry and Biotechnology Department, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, 76018, Ukraine. Electronic address: olehl@pu.if.ua.
Oleh
O
Lushchak
Biochemistry and Biotechnology Department, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, 76018, Ukraine.
Olha
O
Strilbytska
Internal Medicine Department №2, Odessa National Medical University, Odessa, 65008, Ukraine.
Veronika
V
Piskovatska
Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada.
Kenneth B
KB
Storey
D.F. Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, NAMS, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Alexander
A
Koliada
D.F. Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, NAMS, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Alexander
A
Vaiserman
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
D008687:Metformin; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus
Aging; Lifespan; Nutrition; Rapamycin; TOR signaling pathway