MTOR and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Additionally, we found that SQLE knockdown in OSA cell lines led to reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis, attributed to cholesterol reduction and subsequent suppression of the FAK/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which aligns with prior findings that cholesterol depletion triggers apoptosis through FAK inactivation, internalization of lipid rafts and reduced cell adhesion.85