People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Biogerontology. 2013 Aug;14(4):353-63. doi: 10.1007/s10522-013-9435-6. Epub 2013 Jun 6.
TOR (target of rapamycin) pathway has been well known for its central role in growth control. Interestingly, recent studies also implicate the TOR pathway in lifespan regulation in various organisms ranging from budding yeast to mammals. TOR gains momentum in a study showing that rapamycin administration later in life significantly extends lifespan in mice. How the TOR kinase controls these two seemingly distinct biological processes is an especially intriguing question yet to be answered. Here, we summarize the literatures concerning TOR's role in growth control, stress response and lifespan regulation, hoping to obtain a better understanding of how cell growth and maintenance are balanced by TOR and how TOR-mediated shift in metabolisms or energy allocations may translate into lifespan extension at the organismal level. We also evaluate the undergoing efforts to target the TOR pathway for health in human, with focus on looking for new drugs that can bypass the unwanted side effects of rapamycin derivatives.
雷帕霉素靶蛋白（TOR）通路在生长调控中具有核心作用，这一点已广为人知。有趣的是，最近的研究还表明，TOR 通路在从芽殖酵母到哺乳动物等各种生物的寿命调控中发挥作用。一项研究表明，雷帕霉素在生命后期的给药可显著延长小鼠的寿命，这使得 TOR 研究取得了进展。TOR 激酶如何控制这两个看似截然不同的生物学过程，是一个特别有趣但尚未得到解答的问题。在这里，我们总结了关于 TOR 在生长调控、应激反应和寿命调节中的作用的文献，希望更好地理解 TOR 如何平衡细胞生长和维持，以及 TOR 介导的代谢或能量分配的转变如何在机体水平上转化为寿命延长。我们还评估了针对人类 TOR 通路的健康靶向研究，重点寻找能够绕过雷帕霉素衍生物不良副作用的新药。
