Beyond Rapamycin: the Two Faces of mTOR
Rapamycin affects both mTORC1 and mTORC2 and that may not be what we want
mTOR
Aging is complicated.
Numerous pathways and a staggering number of molecules are involved. Tweaking one molecule, then, is unlikely to help us much in tackling age-related decline.
And yet, there are some substances that appear to have a large effect. While many pathways are involved in aging, a lot of anti-aging research focuses on so-called ‘downstream targets’. These targets are molecules that influence many pathways. Influence them and voilà, several molecular pathways are affected simultaneously.
One of the most well-known of these downstream targets is mTOR, or mammalian target of rapamycin. mTOR is an enzyme that can modify proteins by adding phosphate to them. It has many functions in our body and is heavily involved in metabolism and physiology. It helps us grow and mature.
But, when you mature an already mature body, the result is old age. This suggests that reducing the activity of mTOR after adulthood might stall the hands of time.
Enter rapamycin.
As mTOR’s full name (mammalian target of rapamycin) implies, the compound rapamycin affects mTOR’s function. More…
