Kacper B. Rogala
Solved the atomic-resolution structures that show how mTORC1 physically docks and gets switched on at the lysosome
BSc, Univ. of Edinburgh · MRes, UCL · DPhil, Univ. of Oxford · postdoc, MIT/Whitehead (Sabatini lab) · now Assistant Professor, Stanford (Structural Biology & Chemical & Systems Biology)
Rogala Lab, Stanford University ↗
Portrait: Stanford University
First author (ROG2019, Science): cryo-EM at 3.2 Å of Raptor bound to Rag-Ragulator, revealing how mTORC1 reads the Rag GTPases' nucleotide state to dock at the lysosome. Co-first author (VAL2022, Nature): GATOR2's cryo-EM structure — a 1.1 MDa, two-fold symmetric cage with octagonal scaffold and 8 paired WD40 propellers, mapping Sestrin2/CASTOR1 docking sites.
Now leads his own Stanford lab, studying 'cellular intelligence' — how cells sense nutrients and growth signals — with an eye toward cancer and tuberous sclerosis therapeutics.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | M | Structural basis for the docking of mTORC1 on the lysosomal surface ROG2019 Cryo-EM shows how Raptor reads Rag GTPase nucleotide states to dock mTORC1 at the lysosome. |
| 2022 | M | Structure of the nutrient-sensing hub GATOR2 VAL2022 Co-first author: cryo-EM structure of GATOR2, mapping Sestrin2/CASTOR1 docking. |