[The role of mTOR in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism].

mTOR enzyme belongs to a family of specific serine/threonine protein kinases. mTOR plays an important role in the transmission of extracellular signals by phosphorylation of various substrates in many metabolic reactions in humans. Protein mTOR, having protein kinase activity, is encoded by a gene FRAP1, which is localized on chromosome 1 (1p36.2) in skeletal muscle. It exists in two mTOR protein complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2 with various sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of rapamycin. mTOR regulates metabolism in skeletal muscle by phosphorylation of various of protein metabolizing enzymes as well as transcription and translation factors. mTOR expression occurs in response to metabolic requests of muscles and leads to increased metabolism of proteins. The data of recent studies suggest an important role of mTOR in the regulation of intracellular metabolism and point to the need of studying the molecular mechanisms involved in physiological function of skeletal muscles.