Rictor/mTORC2 signaling protects colonocytes from apoptosis and prevents epithelial barrier breakdown.

Epithelial barrier impairment is a hallmark of several pathological processes in the gut, including inflammatory bowel diseases. Several intracellular signals prevent apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. Here we shown that in colonocytes, rictor/mTORC2 signaling is a pro-survival stimulus. Mechanistically, mTORC2 activates Akt which in turns inhibits apoptosis by phosphorylating Bad and preventing caspase-3 activation. Nevertheless, during inflammation, rictor/mTORC2 signaling declines and Akt activity is reduced.

Source: American Journal of Pathology - June 14, 2021 Category: Pathology Authors: Felipe Castro-Martinez, Aurora Candelario-Martinez, Maria del Rocio Encarnacion-Garcia, Zayda Piedra-Quintero, Raul Bonilla-Moreno, Abigail Betanzos, Rocio Perez-Orozco, Maria de los Angeles Hernandez-Cueto, Jose Esteban Mu ñoz-Medina, Genaro Patiño-Lop Tags: Regular Article Source Type: research