Charles Betz
Traced mTORC2 to a specific address inside the cell — the mitochondria-ER contact site
PhD & postdoc, Michael Hall lab, Biozentrum · research staff, vascular-biology groups, Biozentrum · now Head of Department, Directorate of Health, Ministry of Health (Luxembourg, per secondary sources)
Michael N. Hall Lab, Biozentrum, University of Basel (where these studies were done) ↗
Portrait: Biozentrum, University of Basel
Showed (BET2013) mTORC2 concentrates at mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAM), phosphorylating tether proteins via Akt; disrupting mTORC2 broke the ER-mitochondria tether, damaging membrane potential/ATP/calcium handling. Co-authored the widely cited review (BETZ2013) arguing mTOR's subcellular address is a regulatory layer in its own right.
Long run in Hall's lab (2010–2018, incl. a 2018 Nature paper on LHPP as tumor suppressor). Moved into vascular biology, then public-health administration.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | R | Where is mTOR and what is it doing there? BETZ2013 Review arguing mTOR's subcellular location, not just activity, is a core regulatory layer. |
| 2013 | M | mTOR complex 2-Akt signaling at mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAM) regulates mitochondrial physiology BET2013 mTORC2-Akt signaling concentrates at mitochondria-ER contact sites, maintaining the tether required for normal mitochondrial function. |