Small is beautiful–a glycolytic metabolite signals mTORC1 activation in cancer cell metabolism

Even though the mTOR complex has been known for decades as a nutrient sensor,being thus in focus for drug targeting in metabolic disease and cancer metabolism,it has remained puzzling how it is able to get a sense of glucose availability in cells.Now,a small metabolite of the glycolytic pathway,dihydroxyacetone phosphate,has been identified by Sabatini and his coworkers,who show how mTORC1-activity is regulated in glucose-starved and replenished cancer cells.