On mTOR nomenclature

In the present article, I discuss recent developments in the naming of the TOR (target of rapamycin) protein. In particular, I address the issue of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) versus the newer mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR). mTOR is the name given by the TOR community almost two decades ago and widely used ever since. MTOR is a name recently imposed on the TOR community by database curators and used mainly by newcomers. I argue that MTOR is causing needless confusion in the field, and conclude that one should use the name mTOR.