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. 2019 Jan 7;9:1520. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01520

FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1

The cellular functions and mechanisms of rapamycin. (A) The chemical structure of rapamycin obtained from PubChem database. (B) Rapamycin-induced cellular functional changes and mechanisms. Upon reaction with stimulators, such as growth factors, insulin, or adequate nutrients, the PI3K-AKT pathway is driven, followed by the activation of mTORC1. Then, S6K1-S6 and 4EBP-1 pathways, two direct targets of mTORC1, are phosphorylated by activated mTORC1, thereby promoting RNA and protein synthesis. Rapamycin can inhibit the kinase activity of mTORC1, thereby inhibiting synthesis. On the other hand, rapamycin can retard cell-cycle progression at the G1/S transition. mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; GβL, G-protein β-subunit like protein; mTORC1, mTOR complex 1; S6K1-S6, ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1-ribosomal protein S6; 4EBP-1, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E–binding protein 1; Atg1, autophagy-related genes; FKBP12, FK-binding-protein-12.