Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling

Duran RV, Hall MN et al. · 2012 · Molecular cell · Atlas ID DUR2012

What this study shows

Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signalling through alpha-ketoglutarate production.

Abstract

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Amino acids control cell growth via activation of the highly conserved kinase TORC1. Glutamine is a particularly important amino acid in cell growth control and metabolism. However, the role of glutamine in TORC1 activation remains poorly defined. Glutamine is metabolized through glutaminolysis to produce alpha-ketoglutarate. We demonstrate that glutamine in combination with leucine activates mammalian TORC1 (mTORC1) by enhancing glutaminolysis and alpha-ketoglutarate production.

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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	Molecular cell
Year	2012
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-08-22
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.molcel.2012.05.043 · PMID 22749528

Extracted findings

Intervention	Biochemical/genetic (glutaminolysis)
Target	mTORC1 / Rag GTPases (α-ketoglutarate)
Model	Mammalian cells
Effect	Glutaminolysis (with leucine) activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling via α-ketoglutarate production

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Duran, R. V., et al. (2012). Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling. Molecular cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2012.05.043

@article{DUR2012,
  author       = {Duran, R. V. and Hall, M. N. and others},
  title        = {{Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling}},
  journal      = {Molecular cell},
  year         = {2012},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.molcel.2012.05.043},
  note         = {PMID: 22749528},
}

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 DUR2012) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/DUR2012/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_DUR2012,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record DUR2012},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/DUR2012/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}