Dynamic Visualization of mTORC1 Activity in Living Cells

Zhou X, Clister TL, Lowry PR, Seldin MM, Wong GW, Zhang J · 2015 · Cell Reports · Atlas ID ZHO2015

What this study shows

TORCAR, 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.

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At a glance

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	2026-09-23
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.031 · PMID 25772363 · Free full text (PMC4567530)

Extracted findings

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

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Zhou, X., Clister, T. L., Lowry, P. R., Seldin, M. M., Wong, G. W., & Zhang, J. (2015). Dynamic Visualization of mTORC1 Activity in Living Cells. Cell Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.031

@article{ZHO2015,
  author       = {Zhou, X. and Clister, T. L. and Lowry, P. R. and Seldin, M. M. and Wong, G. W. and Zhang, J.},
  title        = {{Dynamic Visualization of mTORC1 Activity in Living Cells}},
  journal      = {Cell Reports},
  year         = {2015},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.031},
  note         = {PMID: 25772363},
}

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 ZHO2015) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/ZHO2015/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_ZHO2015,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record ZHO2015},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/ZHO2015/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}