I was reading this interesting paper – mTOR as a central regulator of lifespan and aging – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6611156/
This is the definition of mTOR from the paper:
‘The mammalian target of Rapamycin is a key component of cellular metabolism that integrates nutrient sensing with cellular processes that fuel cell growth and profileration’
What does mammalian target mean in this context? I know Rapamycin is a drug. Where is mTor in our body?
In:
It’s a [super complex signaling pathway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTOR#/media/File:MTOR-pathway-v1.7.svg ). Rapamycin is a drug used to coat stents, which also seems to have an effect inhibiting this pathway. In experiments **done on mice**, adding this drug also happens to extend their lifecycle. So (unless you are a mouse with Internet access) this is an area where experiments and studies might be done on people.
mTOR was originally discovered because the drug rapamyacin inhibits it. It was originally called TOR (target of rapamyacin) but was later discovered in other organisms so prefixes are sometimes added to distinguish them. In the case of mammals you have mTOR which slightly different in structure than the TOR protein found in other organisms.
mTOR is found in almost every cell of the body. For my PhD, I studied its role in the brain for learning and memory so I am most familiar with its role there. It is considered a master regulator because it affects the process by which the cell creates proteins. It is able to interrupt this process or stop this process for certain proteins in production. It is believed to do this for well over 100 proteins. Since proteins are responsible for pretty much everything the cell does, it can control a lot of different things.
It is involved in inflammatory responses, clearing the cell of waste, and monitoring the availability of resources used to make proteins. It appears to be linked to ageing due to its central role in clearing out cellular waste in the right circumstances, possibly leading to longer life spans of cells. That’s the best ELI5 I can give without the details.
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