Overview of mTOR signaling pathwayNutrients, growth factors, and cellular energy levels are key determinants of cell growth and proliferation. mTOR, a serine/threonine kinase, is a master regulator of cellular metabolism and promotes cell growth in response to environmental cues. Deregulation of mTOR signaling has been implicated in many human diseases, including diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer (1). mTOR forms two distinct signaling complexes, mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2, by binding with multiple companion proteins (Figure 1). mLST8, DEPTOR, and the Tti1/ Tel2 complex exist in both mTORC1 and mTORC2 (2-5). On the other hand, RAPTOR and PRAS40 are specific to mTORC1 (6-11) whereas RICTOR, mSin1, and PROCTOR1/2 are specific to mTORC2 (10,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). The two kinase complexes have specific substrate preferences and therefore elicit distinct downstream signaling events to modulate cellular function.One of the well-established roles of mTORC1 is to promote anabolic cellular metabolism to supply the necessary building blocks for cell growth and proliferation. mTORC1 integrates various stimuli and signaling networks to stimulate synthesis of protein, lipid, and nucleotides and block catabolic processes such as autophagy at the post-translational and transcriptional levels (reviewed in refs. 17, 18). The tuberous sclerosis (TSC) tumor suppressor complex (TSC1/TSC2) is arguably the most important upstream negative regulator of mTORC1. Genetic mutations in hamartin or tuberin (encoding TSC1 and TSC2, respectively) cause tumor development in various tissues such as angiofibromas, angiomyolipomas, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and renal cell carcinoma. Loss-of-function mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2 lead to constitutive mTORC1 activation, which contributes to uncontrolled growth and underlies the TSC disease (19). These findings provide the scientific basis of using mTORC1 inhibitors for the treatment of TSC and related diseases such as cancer.A well-established upstream regulator of mTORC1 is the growth factor/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Growth factors such as insulin and IGF activate their cognate receptors (receptor tyrosine kinases [RTKs]) and subsequently activate the PI3K/ AKT signaling axis. Activated AKT directly phosphorylates and thereby inhibits TSC1/2, a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb) GTPase (19-23). The AKT-dependent phosphorylation results in dissociation of TSC1/2 from lysosome, where Rheb is localized, promoting Rheb activation (24). Since GTP-bound Rheb is a potent mTORC1 activator, inhibition of TSC1/2 by AKT-dependent phosphorylation results in mTORC1 activation (25,26). Additionally, AKT directly phosphorylates and inhibits PRAS40, an mTORC1 component that negatively regulates the complex's kinase activity, leading to mTORC1 activation (8-11). Furthermore, the activated RTK also stimulates the Ras/Erk/p90 ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (RSK1) signaling axis, which directly phosphorylates TSC2 to inactivate its GAP activity (27,28). In co...