MTOR and rheumatoid arthritis: Given that the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT/mTOR (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in cellular proliferation and inflammatory responses 113, 114, circFADS2 and ciRS-7 have been implicated in the initiation and progression of RA by regulating these pathways.