Dynamic Visualization of mTORC1 Activity in Living Cells
What this study shows
TORCAR, described by its authors as the first genetically encoded FRET reporter of mTORC1 activity, lets mTORC1 be watched in living cells as it changes. It showed mTORC1 activity not only at the lysosome but also in the cytosol, nucleus and at the plasma membrane; growth factor spread activity widely, while a leucine surrogate kept it at the lysosome and nucleus. A growth-factor-induced calcium transient contributed to mTORC1 activity. The earliest live reader of mTORC1 held in the atlas.
Abstract
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The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) senses diverse signals to regulate cell growth and metabolism. It has become increasingly clear that mTORC1 activity is regulated in time and space inside the cell, but direct interrogation of such spatiotemporal regulation is challenging. Here, we describe a genetically encoded mTORC1 activity reporter (TORCAR) that exhibits a change in FRET in response to phosphorylation by mTORC1. Co-imaging mTORC1 activity and calcium dynamics revealed that a growth-factor-induced calcium transient contributes to mTORC1 activity.
Read the full abstract on PubMed →At a glance
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| Evidence type | M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Mammalian cell lines (live-cell FRET imaging, subcellularly targeted reporter)) 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 cell lines (live-cell FRET imaging, subcellularly targeted reporter) |
| Journal | Cell Reports |
| Year | 2015 |
| Peer reviewed | Yes |
| Record last updated | 2026-10-01 |
| Source | DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.031 · PMID 25772363 · Free full text (PMC4567530) |
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
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Built TORCAR, an early genetically encoded FRET reporter that lets mTORC1 activity be watched in living cells
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Builds fluorescent biosensors that show where and when signalling enzymes are active inside living cells; senior author of TORCAR, an early live-cell reporter of mTORC1
More: 4 other authors
No profile yet: Clister TL, Lowry PR, Seldin MM, Wong GW
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Topics
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 | Genetically encoded FRET reporter (TORCAR) - a measuring tool, not a drug |
| Target | mTORC1 activity (live, subcellular) |
| Model | Mammalian cell lines |
| Effect | Real-time, compartment-specific readout of mTORC1 activity; signal-specific spatial patterns |
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