Mammalian target of rapamycin signaling in the podocyte.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase. mTOR forms two distinct functional multiprotein kinase complexes that mutually phosphorylate different substrates and regulate a wide array of essential cellular processes including translation, transcription and autophagy. mTOR is active in several types of cancer and plays a role in a variety of other serious human diseases, including diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders and polycystic kidney disease. However, until recently, only very little was known about the function of mTOR in glomerular homeostasis.

RECENT FINDINGS: Emerging studies highlight the important roles of the mTOR signaling pathway in both maintaining and deregulating glomerular and podocyte function.

SUMMARY: Here we review the current understanding of mTOR signaling in podocyte biology and discuss its implications for the development of glomerular diseases.