Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40702016›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Structural insights into cholesterol sensing by the LYCHOS-mTORC1 pathway.

Shang Yu, Jin-Hui Ding, Jia-le Wang, Weize Wang, Peng Zuo, Ao Yang, Zonglin Dai, Yuxin Yin, Jin-Peng Sun, Ling Liang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Shang Yu *Department of Biophysics, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2665-8882
Jin-Hui Ding *Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Jia-le Wang *Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; State Key Laboratory of Vascular Homeostasis and Remodeling, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Weize WangPeking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7258-0356
Peng ZuoInstitute of Systems Biomedicine, Department of Pathology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Tumor Systems, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5631-9534
Ao YangDepartment of Biophysics, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
Zonglin DaiDepartment of Biophysics, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4005-1297
Yuxin YinPeking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4102-0043
Jin-Peng SunDepartment of Biophysics, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. sunjinpeng@sdu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3572-1580
Ling LiangDepartment of Biophysics, State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. liangling@bjmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3115-2563

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32130055National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32171224
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The lysosomal cholesterol sensor LYCHOS regulates mTORC1 signaling by coupling cholesterol sensing to GATOR1-Rag GTPase modulation, yet its structural mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report six cryo-electron microscopy structures of human LYCHOS, depicting five distinct states. These are categorized into a contracted state when complexed with a sufficient amount of the cholesterol analogue cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS), and an expanded state when CHS is deficient. The structure forms a homodimer, within each monomer the transmembrane region is divided into a permease-like domain (PLD) and a GPCR-like domain (GLD) with two clearly defined adjacent cholesterol binding sites between them. Cholesterol binding induces a translation of GLD towards PLD and exposes the cytosolic extension of transmembrane 15, which interacts with GATOR1. Our results elucidate the structural mechanism of cholesterol sensing by the mTORC1 pathway, providing a structural basis for developing inhibitors that selectively target mTORC1 pathway by blocking LYCHOS in its expanded state.

Indexed as

CholesterolMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1Binding SitesCryoelectron MicroscopyHumansModels, MolecularMonomeric GTP-Binding ProteinsProtein BindingProtein DomainsSignal TransductionCholesterolMechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1Monomeric GTP-Binding ProteinsRRAGA protein, human

Identifiers

PMID40702016
PMCPMC12287439

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.