Oliver's mTOR Atlas Evidence Platform
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AIMTOR, a BRET biosensor for live imaging, reveals subcellular mTOR signaling and dysfunctions

Bouquier N, Ollendorff V et al. · 2020 · BMC Biology · Atlas ID BOU2020

What this study shows

AIMTOR is a genetically encoded BRET biosensor that reads out mTOR activity live in single cells and in specific subcellular compartments (cytosol, lysosome surface, nucleus, near mitochondria) -- the enabling technology that makes pulsatile/oscillatory mTOR hypotheses experimentally testable rather than purely theoretical.

Abstract

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mTOR signaling is an essential nutrient and energetic sensing pathway. Here we describe AIMTOR, a sensitive genetically encoded BRET (Bioluminescent Resonance Energy Transfer) biosensor to study mTOR activity in living cells. As a proof of principle, we show in both cell lines and primary cell cultures that AIMTOR BRET intensities are modified by mTOR activity changes induced by specific inhibitors and activators of mTORC1 including amino acids and insulin. We further engineered several versions of AIMTOR enabling subcellular-specific assessment of mTOR activities.

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: HEK293 cells; primary hippocampal neurons and muscle cells (mouse); biosensor tool) 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 type5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model systemHEK293 cells; primary hippocampal neurons and muscle cells (mouse); biosensor tool
JournalBMC Biology
Year2020
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-08-22
SourceDOI 10.1186/s12915-020-00790-8 · PMID 32620110 · Free full text (PMC7334845)

Extracted findings

InterventionGenetically encoded BRET biosensor (AIMTOR) -- tool, not a drug intervention
TargetmTOR activity (live, subcellular)
ModelHuman (HEK293); mouse (neurons, muscle)
EffectEnables real-time single-cell/subcellular measurement of mTOR activity dynamics

In the Atlas

Related topics

mTOR

Open questions that cite this study

Cite this paper

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Bouquier, N., et al. (2020). AIMTOR, a BRET biosensor for live imaging, reveals subcellular mTOR signaling and dysfunctions. BMC Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-020-00790-8

@article{BOU2020,
  author       = {Bouquier, N. and Ollendorff, V. and others},
  title        = {{AIMTOR, a BRET biosensor for live imaging, reveals subcellular mTOR signaling and dysfunctions}},
  journal      = {BMC Biology},
  year         = {2020},
  doi          = {10.1186/s12915-020-00790-8},
  note         = {PMID: 32620110},
}

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 BOU2020) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BOU2020/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_BOU2020,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record BOU2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BOU2020/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}