Effectors of mTOR-autophagy pathway: targeting cancer, affecting the skeleton

Current preclinical findings indicate that inhibiting autophagy will not seriously reduce bone mass and enhance osteoporosis. However, inhibition of autophagy might damage articular cartilage and cause osteoarthritis, whereas treatment with rapalogs might result in relatively beneficial effects on articular cartilage. Modulation of the mTOR pathway or autophagy during childhood may have an undesirable influence on adult height, as well as acquisition of bone mass.