MTOR and fetal growth restriction: Accordingly, dysregulation of AKT-mTOR signaling, as observed in IUGR placentas, reduces the amount of mTOR, TSC2, and raptor proteins, which suppresses protein translation initiation and alters the elongation stage of protein synthesis, as evidenced by the increased phosphorylation of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 2 Kinase (eEF2K) [117], which is robustly implicated in ER stress.