The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1

Sancak Y, Peterson TR, Shaul YD, Lindquist RA, Thoreen CC, Bar-Peled L, Sabatini DM · 2008 · Science · Atlas ID SAN2008

What this study shows

Identifies the Rag GTPase family as the missing link that lets mTORC1 sense amino acids by controlling whether mTOR is positioned near its activator Rheb.

Abstract

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The multiprotein mTORC1 protein kinase complex is the central component of a pathway that promotes growth in response to insulin, energy levels, and amino acids and is deregulated in common cancers. We find that the Rag proteins--a family of four related small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases)--interact with mTORC1 in an amino acid-sensitive manner and are necessary for the activation of the mTORC1 pathway by amino acids.

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: Human cell lines) 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	Human cell lines
Journal	Science
Year	2008
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1126/science.1157535 · PMID 18497260 · Free full text (PMC2475333)

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	Genetic/biochemical (Rag GTPases)
Target	Rag GTPases / raptor / mTORC1
Model	Human cell lines
Effect	Rag GTPases interact with raptor in an amino-acid-sensitive way and are necessary for amino-acid activation of mTORC1

In the Atlas

Links in the pathway map

Supports Rag GTPases recruits mTORC1

Learn the biology

Want to understand the biology behind this study? → Rheb — The Critical Regulator

Cite this paper

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Sancak, Y., Peterson, T. R., Shaul, Y. D., Lindquist, R. A., Thoreen, C. C., Bar-Peled, L., & Sabatini, D. M. (2008). The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1157535

@article{SAN2008,
  author       = {Sancak, Y. and Peterson, T. R. and Shaul, Y. D. and Lindquist, R. A. and Thoreen, C. C. and Bar-Peled, L. and Sabatini, D. M.},
  title        = {{The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {2008},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.1157535},
  note         = {PMID: 18497260},
}

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 SAN2008) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAN2008/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_SAN2008,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record SAN2008},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAN2008/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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