Rapamycin, a macrolide compound obtained from Streptomyces hygroscopicus, is a potent and specific mTOR inhibitor (IC50: 0.1 nM in HEK293 cells). Rapamycin is a macrolide antibiotic that has been studied as a potential anticancer agent. It binds to FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs) to form a complex that inhibits mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR). Rapamycin also blocks p70 S6 kinase activation by interleukin-2 and thereby inhibits proliferation of T cells. It induces differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to mesendoderm and blood progenitor cells.
