Family of small GTPases that let mTORC1 sense amino acids by controlling its localization near its activator Rheb inside the cell.
| Tier | What it means | Studies |
|---|---|---|
| D | Mechanistic / in vitro / review | 4 |
No direct human evidence in the Atlas for this entity yet — everything below rests on animal or mechanistic work.
| Study | Year | Tier | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAR2013 | 2013 | D | Found the OFF switch for amino acid signaling: the GATOR1 complex is a GAP that shuts the Rag GTPases (and thus mTORC1) down when amino acids run low, while GATOR2 opposes it. GATOR1 genes are mutated |
| ZON2011 | 2011 | D | Showed amino acid sensing starts INSIDE the lysosome: amino acids accumulate in the lumen and the v-ATPase relays that signal outward ('inside-out') to Ragulator-Rag. A surprising twist on where the c |
| SAN2010 | 2010 | D | Established WHERE mTORC1 gets switched on: the lysosome surface. Identified Ragulator as the lysosomal dock that recruits the Rag GTPases and drags mTORC1 to the membrane where its activator Rheb live |
| SAN2008 | 2008 | D | Identifies the Rag GTPase family as the missing link that lets mTORC1 sense amino acids by controlling whether mTOR is positioned near its activator Rheb. |
| MUT2026 | 2026 | — | Identifies a new layer of control over mTORC1's lysosomal machinery: cholesterol exchange between the ER and lysosome regulates lysosome movement via mTOR-dependent phosphorylation of LAMTOR1, a core |