Mechanism of arginine sensing by CASTOR1 upstream of mTORC1

Saxton RA, Chantranupong L, Knockenhauer KE, Schwartz TU, Sabatini DM · 2016 · Nature · Atlas ID SAX2016

What this study shows

CASTOR1 is a direct arginine sensor upstream of mTORC1; structure reveals the arginine-binding mechanism.

Abstract

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The mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) is a major regulator of eukaryotic growth that coordinates anabolic and catabolic cellular processes with inputs such as growth factors and nutrients, including amino acids. In mammals arginine is particularly important, promoting diverse physiological effects such as immune cell activation, insulin secretion, and muscle growth, largely mediated through activation of mTORC1 (refs 4, 5, 6, 7).

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: Structure; 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	Structure; cells
Journal	Nature
Year	2016
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1038/nature19079 · PMID 27487210 · Free full text (PMC4988899)

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	Structural/biochemical (CASTOR1)
Target	CASTOR1 / GATOR2 / mTORC1 (arginine)
Model	Structure; cells
Effect	CASTOR1 is a direct arginine sensor upstream of mTORC1; structure reveals the arginine-binding mechanism

In the Atlas

Links in the pathway map

Supports Arginine inhibits CASTOR1
Supports CASTOR1 inhibits GATOR2

Cite this paper

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Saxton, R. A., Chantranupong, L., Knockenhauer, K. E., Schwartz, T. U., & Sabatini, D. M. (2016). Mechanism of arginine sensing by CASTOR1 upstream of mTORC1. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19079

@article{SAX2016,
  author       = {Saxton, R. A. and Chantranupong, L. and Knockenhauer, K. E. and Schwartz, T. U. and Sabatini, D. M.},
  title        = {{Mechanism of arginine sensing by CASTOR1 upstream of mTORC1}},
  journal      = {Nature},
  year         = {2016},
  doi          = {10.1038/nature19079},
  note         = {PMID: 27487210},
}

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 SAX2016) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAX2016/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_SAX2016,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record SAX2016},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/SAX2016/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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