TOR, a central controller of cell growth

Cell growth (increase in cell mass) and cell proliferation (increase in cel l number) are distinct yet coupled processes that go hand-in-hand to give r ise to an organ, organism, or tumor. Cyclin-dependent kinase(s) is the cent ral regulator of cell proliferation. Is there an equivalent regulator for c ell growth? Recent findings reveal that the target of rapamycin TOR control s an unusually abundant and diverse set of readouts all of which are import ant for cell growth, suggesting that this conserved kinase is such a centra l regulator.