Primary cilia regulate mTORC1 activity and cell size through Lkb1
24.10.2010
Boehlke C, Kotsis F, Patel V, Braeg S, Voelker H, Bredt S, Beyer T, Janusch H, Hamann C, Gödel M, Müller K, Herbst M, Hornung M, Doerken M, Köttgen M, Nitschke R, Igarashi P, Walz G, Kuehn EW
Nat Cell Biol 12(11):1115-22.
Different external growth signals converge on the mTORC1 complex. Deregulation of the mTOR pathway occurs in polycystic kidney disease, where cilia fail to sense urine flow due to inherited mutations in ciliary proteins. Here we show that bending of the cilia by flow is required for mTOR regulation. Lkb1 is localised in cilia and bending by flow results in increased AMPK phosphorylation at the basal body. Our results demonstrate that the cilium regulates mTOR and identify the cilium/basal body compartment as a spatially restricted activation site of Lkb1-signaling.
