Glutaminolysis activates Rag-mTORC1 signaling

Duran RV, Oppliger W, Robitaille AM, Heiserich L, Skendaj R, Gottlieb E, Hall MN · 2012 · Molecular cell · Atlas ID DUR2012

What this study shows

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

Abstract

ShowHide

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.

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	Molecular cell
Year	2012
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.molcel.2012.05.043 · PMID 22749528

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	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

Links in the pathway map

Supports Glutamine activates Rag GTPases

Cite this paper

ShowHide

Duran, R. V., Oppliger, W., Robitaille, A. M., Heiserich, L., Skendaj, R., Gottlieb, E., & Hall, M. N. (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 Oppliger, W. and Robitaille, A. M. and Heiserich, L. and Skendaj, R. and Gottlieb, E. and Hall, M. N.},
  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}
}

Was this page useful?