Synapse Defects and TOR activation (IMAGE)

Rice University

Synapse Defects and TOR activation

Caption

At a healthy synapse (top), neuron-muscle communication (thick green arrow) prevents TOR activation in muscle, permitting repair of cellular structures and muscle survival. Synapse defects (bottom) from HSP mutations and other neuronal disorders disrupt this communication (thin green arrow), which activates TOR protein in the muscle, allowing junk proteins to build up and cause muscle degeneration and ultimately death.

Credit

James McNew/Rice University

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