The DOI matches its Crossref record; 256 of the 256 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
AMPK and TOR: The Yin and Yang of Cellular Nutrient Sensing and Growth Control
Open accessAbstract
The AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) and TOR (target-of-rapamycin) pathways are interlinked, opposing signaling pathways involved in sensing availability of nutrients and energy and regulation of cell growth. AMPK (Yin, or the "dark side") is switched on by lack of energy or nutrients and inhibits cell growth, while TOR (Yang, or the "bright side") is switched on by nutrient availability and promotes cell growth. Genes encoding the AMPK and TOR complexes are found in almost all eukaryotes, suggesting that these pathways arose very early during eukaryotic evolution. During the development of multicellularity, an additional tier of cell-extrinsic growth control arose that is mediated by growth factors, but these often act by modulating nutrient uptake so that AMPK and TOR remain the underlying regulators of cellular growth control. In this review, we discuss the evolution, structure, and regulation of the AMPK and TOR pathways and the complex mechanisms by which they interact.
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“However, this activation also promotes catabolic pathways, such as mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy, which can counteract the anabolic processes necessary for muscle hypertrophy induced by resistance training [228].”
From Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR) (2025) · cites this paper as [228]
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“However, this activation also promotes catabolic pathways, such as mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy, which can counteract the anabolic processes necessary for muscle hypertrophy induced by resistance training [228].”
From Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR) (2025) · cites this paper as [228]
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“In hypoxic senescent cells, mTOR activity decrease is mediated by activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that helps to maintain the energy balance under low-oxygen conditions [161,164].”
From Mechanisms and Regulation of Cellular Senescence (2021) · cites this paper as [164]
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Metadata
- Authors
- González, A., Hall, M. N., Lin, S.-C., & Hardie, D. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Basel (CH)
- Xiamen University (CN)
- University of Dundee (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hardie, D. Grahame
- Venue
- Cell Metabolism
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 472-492
- ISSN
- 1550-4131 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3010443092
- Cited by
- 797
- References
- 256
- Citations by year
- 2026: 119 · 2025: 122 · 2024: 135 · 2023: 129 · 2022: 143 · 2021: 116 · 2020: 31
- FWCI
- 10.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cell Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- edoc (University of Basel) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- edoc (University of Basel)
- Funders
- Centro de Investigación e Innovación en Energía Marina (609883)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (31430094, 31690101, 31730058, 31601152)
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (310030B-179569)
- European Research Council
- National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0502001)
- Wellcome Trust (204766)
- Universität Basel
- Louis-Jeantet Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Keywords
- AMPK, target of rapamycin, nutrient sensing, energy sensing, cell growth regulation, TOR signaling, AMPK signaling, evolution of signaling pathways, eukaryotic evolution, multicellularity, growth factor signaling, nutrient uptake, kinase regulation
- MeSH terms
- Nutrients, Animals, Cells, DNA Damage, Humans, Cell Proliferation, AMP-Activated Protein Kinases, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
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