mTORC2 signaling study published in Nature Communications

A recent study by Camila Martinez Calejman, PhD, in the Guertin Lab, revealed an unexpected link between mTOR signaling and the synthesis of Acetyl-CoA, a molecule with critical roles in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and the epigenetic control of gene expression.  It was published in the journal Nature Communications, where Dr. Martinez Calejman explains the importance of this link in brown adipose tissue - the so-called healthy fat.  This research may have implications to help better understand other aspects of type 2 diabetes and cancer.  

A cell’s capacity to sense and respond to nutrients is essential for metabolic homeostasis.  Losing that flexibility is a hallmark of diabetes and cancer.  “This paper clearly shows how mTORC2 loss can profoundly reprogram metabolism and how complex and deep its downstream regulation is," said Dr. Martinez-Calejman.  "It leaves a lot of room for more exciting discoveries to come.”

The study was a collaboration between the Guertin Lab at UMass Chan Medical School and labs from University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.  Dr. Martinez Calejman is the lead author of the publication.  “It was an incredible learning experience for me," she said.  “Working with other great labs really made a difference and took this work to the next level.”     

The full article in Nature Communications, January 29, 2020, can be found here