Effects of rapamycin on growth hormone receptor knockout mice

Abstract

It is well documented that inhibition of mTORC1 (defined by Raptor), a complex of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), extends life span, but less is known about the mechanisms by which mTORC2 (defined by Rictor) impacts longevity. Here, rapamycin (an inhibitor of mTOR) was used in GHR-KO (growth hormone receptor knockout) mice, which have suppressed mTORC1 and up-regulated mTORC2 signaling, to determine the effect of concurrently decreased mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling on life span. We found that rapamycin extended life span in control normal (N) mice, whereas it had the opposite effect in GHR-KO mice. In the rapamycin-treated GHR-KO mice, mTORC2 signaling was reduced without further inhibition of mTORC1 in the liver, muscle, and s.c. fat. Glucose and lipid homeostasis were impaired, and old GHR-KO mice treated with rapamycin lost functional immune cells and had increased inflammation. In GHR-KO MEF cells, knockdown of Rictor, but not Raptor, decreased mTORC2 signaling. We conclude that drastic reduction of mTORC2 plays important roles in impaired longevity in GHR-KO mice via disruption of whole-body homeostasis.