Dynamics of mTORC1 activation in response to amino acids

Manifava M, Ktistakis NT et al. · 2016 · eLife · Atlas ID MAN2016

What this study shows

Live imaging shows mTORC1 moves to lysosomes within 2 minutes of amino acid addition and peaks by 5 minutes, in step with leucine arriving in lysosomes; phosphorylation of classic mTORC1 targets lags behind, suggesting mTORC1 passes briefly through the lysosome before acting on substrates elsewhere.

Abstract

ShowHide

Amino acids are essential activators of mTORC1 via a complex containing RAG GTPases, RAGULATOR and the vacuolar ATPase. Sensing of amino acids causes translocation of mTORC1 to lysosomes, an obligate step for activation. To examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of this translocation, we used live imaging of the mTORC1 component RAPTOR and a cell permeant fluorescent analogue of di-leucine methyl ester. Translocation to lysosomes is a transient event, occurring within 2 min of aa addition and peaking within 5 min.

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; live imaging of RAPTOR and a fluorescent di-leucine analogue) 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	HEK293 cells; live imaging of RAPTOR and a fluorescent di-leucine analogue
Journal	eLife
Year	2016
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-09-23
Source	DOI 10.7554/eLife.19960 · PMID 27725083 · Free full text (PMC5059141)

Extracted findings

Intervention	Amino acid add-back
Target	mTORC1 / RAPTOR lysosomal translocation
Model	Human cell line
Effect	mTORC1 lysosomal translocation is transient (2-5 min) and precedes target phosphorylation

Cite this paper

ShowHide

Manifava, M., et al. (2016). Dynamics of mTORC1 activation in response to amino acids. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19960

@article{MAN2016,
  author       = {Manifava, M. and Ktistakis, N. T. and others},
  title        = {{Dynamics of mTORC1 activation in response to amino acids}},
  journal      = {eLife},
  year         = {2016},
  doi          = {10.7554/eLife.19960},
  note         = {PMID: 27725083},
}

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 MAN2016) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/MAN2016/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_MAN2016,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record MAN2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/MAN2016/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}