Glutamine
Most abundant free amino acid; activates mTORC1 partly through glutaminolysis and, in some settings, through a Rag-independent Arf1 route - one of the clearest examples that 'amino acid sensing' is not a single mechanism.
Abundant amino acid with a disputed route in. The most abundant free amino acid in the body. It switches on mTORC1 partly by being broken down for fuel and, in some cell types, through a completely separate route that skips the usual Rag-GTPase sensors - a reminder that 'amino acid sensing' isn't just one single mechanism.
Rag-independent glutamine signalling via Arf1 is reported but not universally reproduced; treat the route as unsettled.
TL;DR. Glutamine appears in 4 curated studies in Oliver's mTOR Atlas: 2 in animal models; 2 at the molecular level (cells, biochemistry, structure). No study in people is recorded for it in the Atlas yet. It has 2 interactions in the curated pathway model.
In the pathway model
| Interaction | Mechanism | Evidence | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glutamine activates Rag GTPases mechanism: signal-relay · this link in full · on the map table | Glutamine can switch on mTORC1 partly just by being burned for fuel: burning it makes a molecule that helps the Rag proteins pull mTORC1 to the lysosome. Glutamine burned through glutaminolysis raises alpha-ketoglutarate, which promotes RagB GTP loading and mTORC1 translocation to the lysosome. This edge asserts the Rag-dependent route only. Glutamine burned through glutaminolysis raises alpha-ketoglutarate, which promotes RagB GTP loading and mTORC1 translocation to the lysosome. This edge asserts the Rag-dependent route only. Holds under: Cell-type dependent, and deliberately narrow: the separate claim that glutamine can reach mTORC1 without the Rags is carried by its own edge rather than folded in here. not tested in people · emerging, few independent studies | M | DUR2012 |
| Glutamine activates mTORC1 mechanism: signal-relay · this link in full · on the map table | Some experiments say glutamine has a second way in that skips the Rag proteins entirely. If that is right, the lysosome story is not the whole story – which is a big claim resting on thin evidence. A second and contested way in: JEW2015 reports that glutamine activates mTORC1 without the Rag GTPases, through Arf1, and that leucine and glutamine therefore do not share one entry point. If it holds, Rag-dependent lysosomal recruitment is not the only route to the kinase. A second and contested way in: JEW2015 reports that glutamine activates mTORC1 without the Rag GTPases, through Arf1, and that leucine and glutamine therefore do not share one entry point. If it holds, Rag-dependent lysosomal recruitment is not the only route to the kinase. Holds under: Cell-type dependent and not uniformly reproduced across labs. The Rag-dependent route is the separate GLN-RAG edge; neither edge should be read as covering the other. not tested in people · disputed: at least one study points the other way | M | JEW2015 |
Evidence at a glance
| Evidence | What it means | Studies |
|---|---|---|
| A | Animal model | 2 |
| M | Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure | 2 |
No direct human evidence in the Atlas for this entity yet — everything below rests on animal or molecular work.
Studies
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A | Glutamine alleviates bisphenol A-induced jejunal injury in piglets involving mitochondrial function restoration and AMPK-mTOR signaling regulation. XIE2026 Glutamine supplementation alleviated bisphenol A-induced jejunal injury in piglets, restoring mitochondrial energy metabolism and barrier integrity alongside modulation of AMPK-mTOR signalling. |
| 2011 | A | The transcription factor Myc controls metabolic reprogramming upon T lymphocyte activation WAN2011 The transcription factor Myc drives metabolic reprogramming of activated T cells downstream of mTOR. |
| 2015 | M | Metabolism. Differential regulation of mTORC1 by leucine and glutamine JEW2015 Glutamine activates mTORC1 via a Rag-independent, Arf1-dependent route distinct from leucine. |
| 2012 | M | Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling DUR2012 Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signalling through alpha-ketoglutarate production. |
Related entities
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