Ragulator-Rag complex targets mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface and is necessary for its activation by amino acids

Sancak Y, Bar-Peled L, Zoncu R, Markhard AL, Nada S, Sabatini DM · 2010 · Cell · Atlas ID SAN2010

What this study shows

Established WHERE mTORC1 gets switched on: the lysosome surface. Identified Ragulator as the lysosomal dock that recruits the Rag GTPases and drags mTORC1 to the membrane where its activator Rheb lives. Amino acids work by controlling this translocation.

Abstract

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The mTORC1 kinase promotes growth in response to growth factors, energy levels, and amino acids, and its activity is often deregulated in disease. The Rag GTPases interact with mTORC1 and are proposed to activate it in response to amino acids by promoting mTORC1 translocation to a membrane-bound compartment that contains the mTORC1 activator, Rheb. We show that amino acids induce the movement of mTORC1 to lysosomal membranes, where the Rag proteins reside.

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 cells + Drosophila) 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 cells + Drosophila
Journal	Cell
Year	2010
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2010.02.024 · PMID 20381137 · Free full text (PMC3024592)

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 (Ragulator-Rag)
Target	Ragulator / Rag / mTORC1 / Rheb
Model	Human cells + Drosophila
Effect	The Ragulator-Rag complex targets mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface and is necessary for its activation by amino acids

In the Atlas

Links in the pathway map

Supports Lysosome required-for mTORC1
Supports Rag GTPases recruits mTORC1
Supports Ragulator activates Rag GTPases

Learn the biology

Want to understand the biology behind this study? → The Lysosome as a Signalling Platform

Cite this paper

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Sancak, Y., Bar-Peled, L., Zoncu, R., Markhard, A. L., Nada, S., & Sabatini, D. M. (2010). Ragulator-Rag complex targets mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface and is necessary for its activation by amino acids. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2010.02.024

@article{SAN2010,
  author       = {Sancak, Y. and Bar-Peled, L. and Zoncu, R. and Markhard, A. L. and Nada, S. and Sabatini, D. M.},
  title        = {{Ragulator-Rag complex targets mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface and is necessary for its activation by amino acids}},
  journal      = {Cell},
  year         = {2010},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.cell.2010.02.024},
  note         = {PMID: 20381137},
}

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 SAN2010) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAN2010/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_SAN2010,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record SAN2010},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAN2010/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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