mTORC1 induces purine synthesis through control of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle

Ben-Sahra I, Hoxhaj G, Ricoult SJH, Asara JM, Manning BD · 2016 · Science · Atlas ID BEN2016

What this study shows

mTORC1 promotes purine synthesis via ATF4-driven mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate metabolism.

Abstract

ShowHide

In response to growth signals, mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) stimulates anabolic processes underlying cell growth. We found that mTORC1 increases metabolic flux through the de novo purine synthesis pathway in various mouse and human cells, thereby influencing the nucleotide pool available for nucleic acid synthesis.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Mammalian cells) rather than a whole-organism health-outcome study. That is often exactly where causal biology gets established -- the code says which system the finding was shown in, and nothing about how good the work is.
Study type	5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model system	Mammalian cells
Journal	Science
Year	2016
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1126/science.aad0489 · PMID 26912861 · Free full text (PMC4786372)

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Genetic/pharmacologic (mTORC1)
Target	mTORC1 / ATF4 / mitochondrial folate (THF) cycle
Model	Mammalian cells
Effect	mTORC1 induces de novo purine synthesis through control of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle

In the Atlas

Links in the pathway map

Supports mTORC1 activates Nucleotide synthesis

Cite this paper

ShowHide

Ben-Sahra, I., Hoxhaj, G., Ricoult, S. J. H., Asara, J. M., & Manning, B. D. (2016). mTORC1 induces purine synthesis through control of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad0489

@article{BEN2016,
  author       = {Ben-Sahra, I. and Hoxhaj, G. and Ricoult, S. J. H. and Asara, J. M. and Manning, B. D.},
  title        = {{mTORC1 induces purine synthesis through control of the mitochondrial tetrahydrofolate cycle}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {2016},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.aad0489},
  note         = {PMID: 26912861},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record BEN2016) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BEN2016/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_BEN2016,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record BEN2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BEN2016/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

Was this page useful?