Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22408430›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2012

The mTOR signalling pathway in human cancer.

Helena Pópulo, José Manuel Lopes, Paula Soares

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 426 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
426citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
21.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

426 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 828 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Life Course Trajectories of Body Mass Index and Risk of Cancer in Adulthood: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Pooled it
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  12. Exploring Natural Coumarins: Breakthroughs in Anticancer Therapeutics.Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry · 2026
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366 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Helena PópuloInstitute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of University of Porto (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.
José Manuel LopesInstitute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of University of Porto (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-8597-3474
Paula SoaresInstitute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of University of Porto (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-9607-6998
Universidade do Porto · PT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The conserved serine/threonine kinase mTOR (the mammalian target of rapamycin), a downstream effector of the PI3K/AKT pathway, forms two distinct multiprotein complexes: mTORC1 and mTORC2. mTORC1 is sensitive to rapamycin, activates S6K1 and 4EBP1, which are involved in mRNA translation. It is activated by diverse stimuli, such as growth factors, nutrients, energy and stress signals, and essential signalling pathways, such as PI3K, MAPK and AMPK, in order to control cell growth, proliferation and survival. mTORC2 is considered resistant to rapamycin and is generally insensitive to nutrients and energy signals. It activates PKC-α and AKT and regulates the actin cytoskeleton. Deregulation of multiple elements of the mTOR pathway (PI3K amplification/mutation, PTEN loss of function, AKT overexpression, and S6K1, 4EBP1 and eIF4E overexpression) has been reported in many types of cancers, particularly in melanoma, where alterations in major components of the mTOR pathway were reported to have significant effects on tumour progression. Therefore, mTOR is an appealing therapeutic target and mTOR inhibitors, including the rapamycin analogues deforolimus, everolimus and temsirolimus, are submitted to clinical trials for treating multiple cancers, alone or in combination with inhibitors of other pathways. Importantly, temsirolimus and everolimus were recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, PNET and giant cell astrocytoma. Small molecules that inhibit mTOR kinase activity and dual PI3K-mTOR inhibitors are also being developed. In this review, we aim to survey relevant research, the molecular mechanisms of signalling, including upstream activation and downstream effectors, and the role of mTOR in cancer, mainly in melanoma.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsAnimalsGrowth and DevelopmentHumansLongevityMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2MelanomaMultiprotein ComplexesSignal TransductionSkin NeoplasmsTOR Serine-Threonine KinasesMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2MTOR protein, humanMultiprotein ComplexesTOR Serine-Threonine KinasescancermelanomamTORrapamycintherapy

Identifiers

PMID22408430
PMCPMC3291999
OpenAlexW1965766554

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.