Friday, July 10, 2015

TORC1 Inhibition by Rapamycin Promotes Antioxidant Defences in a Drosophila Model of Friedreich’s Ataxia

TORC1 Inhibition by Rapamycin Promotes Antioxidant Defences in a Drosophila Model of Friedreich’s Ataxia. Pablo Calap-Quintana, Sirena Soriano, José Vicente Llorens, Ismael Al-Ramahi, Juan Botas, María Dolores Moltó, María José Martínez-Sebastián; PLoS ONE 10(7): e0132376. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132376

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We found that genetic reduction in TOR Complex 1 (TORC1) signalling improves the impaired motor performance phenotype of FRDA model flies. Pharmacologic inhibition of TORC1 signalling by rapamycin also restored this phenotype and increased the lifespan and ATP levels. These results point to the TORC1 pathway as a new potential therapeutic target for FRDA and as a guide to finding new promising molecules for disease treatment.