mTORC1 Activator SLC38A9 Is Required to Efflux Essential Amino Acids from Lysosomes and Use Protein as a Nutrient

Wyant GA, Abu-Remaileh M, Wolfson RL, Chen WW, Freinkman E, Danai LV, Vander Heiden MG, Sabatini DM · 2017 · Cell · Atlas ID WYA2017

What this study shows

SLC38A9 effluxes essential amino acids (e.g. leucine) from lysosomes to activate mTORC1.

Abstract

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The mTORC1 kinase is a master growth regulator that senses many environmental cues, including amino acids. Activation of mTORC1 by arginine requires SLC38A9, a poorly understood lysosomal membrane protein with homology to amino acid transporters. Here, we validate that SLC38A9 is an arginine sensor for the mTORC1 pathway, and we uncover an unexpectedly central role for SLC38A9 in amino acid homeostasis. SLC38A9 mediates the transport, in an arginine-regulated fashion, of many essential amino acids out of lysosomes, including leucine, which mTORC1 senses through the cytosolic Sestrin proteins.

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: Mammalian 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	Mammalian cells
Journal	Cell
Year	2017
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.046 · PMID 29053970 · Free full text (PMC5704964)

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 (SLC38A9)
Target	SLC38A9 / mTORC1 (arginine)
Model	Mammalian cells
Effect	SLC38A9 is an arginine sensor that also effluxes essential amino acids from lysosomes, letting cells use protein as a nutrient

In the Atlas

Links in the pathway map

Supports SLC38A9 activates Rag GTPases

Cite this paper

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Wyant, G. A., Abu-Remaileh, M., Wolfson, R. L., Chen, W. W., Freinkman, E., Danai, L. V., Vander Heiden, M. G., & Sabatini, D. M. (2017). mTORC1 Activator SLC38A9 Is Required to Efflux Essential Amino Acids from Lysosomes and Use Protein as a Nutrient. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.046

@article{WYA2017,
  author       = {Wyant, G. A. and Abu-Remaileh, M. and Wolfson, R. L. and Chen, W. W. and Freinkman, E. and Danai, L. V. and Vander Heiden, M. G. and Sabatini, D. M.},
  title        = {{mTORC1 Activator SLC38A9 Is Required to Efflux Essential Amino Acids from Lysosomes and Use Protein as a Nutrient}},
  journal      = {Cell},
  year         = {2017},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.046},
  note         = {PMID: 29053970},
}

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 WYA2017) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/WYA2017/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_WYA2017,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record WYA2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/WYA2017/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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