Oliver's mTOR Atlas Evidence Platform
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mTOR signaling regulates central and peripheral circadian clock function

Ramanathan C, Kathale ND, Liu D, Lee C, Freeman DA, Hogenesch JB, Cao R, Liu AC · 2018 · PLOS Genetics · Atlas ID RAM2018

What this study shows

mTOR sets how fast and how strongly the circadian clock ticks. Inhibiting mTOR lengthened the clock period and flattened its amplitude; activating it shortened the period and raised the amplitude, in cells, in ex vivo brain (SCN) and liver clocks, and in mTOR heterozygous mice, whose locomotor rhythm ran longer. The study starts from the observation that mTOR activity itself oscillates over 24 hours in many tissues.

Abstract

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The circadian clock coordinates physiology and metabolism. mTOR (mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin) is a major intracellular sensor that integrates nutrient and energy status to regulate protein synthesis, metabolism, and cell growth. Previous studies have identified a key role for mTOR in regulating photic entrainment and synchrony of the central circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

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Evidence type A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: Hepatocyte and adipocyte clock models; Tsc2-/- fibroblasts; ex vivo SCN and liver; mTOR heterozygous mice); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type4 - Animal Study
Model systemHepatocyte and adipocyte clock models; Tsc2-/- fibroblasts; ex vivo SCN and liver; mTOR heterozygous mice
JournalPLOS Genetics
Year2018
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-10-01
SourceDOI 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007369 · PMID 29750810 · Free full text (PMC5965903)

Where this study fits

How this study connects to the pathway map, open questions, people and other studies in the Atlas.

People in the Atlas

  • Chidambaram Ramanathan first author · 1 study in the Atlas

    Circadian biologist at the University of Memphis who showed that mTOR signalling sets the speed and strength of the body's daily clocks

  • Andrew C. Liu last author · 1 study in the Atlas

    Circadian biologist who studies how the body clock works at the molecular level and how it connects with metabolism and signalling pathways such as mTOR.

  • John B. Hogenesch 1 study in the Atlas

    Circadian-rhythm geneticist who uses genome-wide methods to map which genes the body clock controls in each tissue.

More: 5 other authors

No profile yet: Kathale ND, Liu D, Lee C, Freeman DA, Cao R

Related studies

More related studies

All 125 studies on mTOR

Topics

TSC1/TSC2RapamycinmTOR

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.

InterventionGenetic and pharmacological mTOR inhibition or activation
TargetmTOR; core clock proteins (CRY1, BMAL1, CLOCK)
ModelMouse (cells, ex vivo tissue, whole animal)
EffectmTOR inhibition lengthens circadian period and dampens amplitude; activation does the opposite

Cite this paper

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Ramanathan, C., Kathale, N. D., Liu, D., Lee, C., Freeman, D. A., Hogenesch, J. B., Cao, R., & Liu, A. C. (2018). mTOR signaling regulates central and peripheral circadian clock function. PLOS Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007369

@article{RAM2018,
  author       = {Ramanathan, C. and Kathale, N. D. and Liu, D. and Lee, C. and Freeman, D. A. and Hogenesch, J. B. and Cao, R. and Liu, A. C.},
  title        = {{mTOR signaling regulates central and peripheral circadian clock function}},
  journal      = {PLOS Genetics},
  year         = {2018},
  doi          = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1007369},
  note         = {PMID: 29750810},
}

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 RAM2018) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/RAM2018/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_RAM2018,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record RAM2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/RAM2018/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}
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