Lee PL, Jung SM, Guertin DA. The Complex Roles of Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin in Adipocytes and Beyond.
Trends Endocrinol Metab 2017;
28:319-339. [PMID:
28237819 PMCID:
PMC5682923 DOI:
10.1016/j.tem.2017.01.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Having healthy adipose tissue is essential for metabolic fitness. This is clear from the obesity epidemic, which is unveiling a myriad of comorbidities associated with excess adipose tissue including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Lipodystrophy also causes insulin resistance, emphasizing the importance of having a balanced amount of fat. In cells, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complexes 1 and 2 (mTORC1 and mTORC2, respectively) link nutrient and hormonal signaling with metabolism, and recent studies are shedding new light on their in vivo roles in adipocytes. In this review, we discuss how recent advances in adipose tissue and mTOR biology are converging to reveal new mechanisms that maintain healthy adipose tissue, and discuss ongoing mysteries of mTOR signaling, particularly for the less understood complex mTORC2.
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