TORC1 is an enzyme complex that controls the normal growth of cells. However, when it is too active, it can promote diseases such as cancer. A study led by biologists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and published in the journal Nature describes how sugar regulates the activity of TORC1 through a surprising mechanism. In the presence of sugar, individual TORC1s stimulate the various metabolic processes that allow cells to grow. In the absence of sugar, TORC1s assemble into a tubular structure, rendering them inactive, and thus, cell growth stops. The formation and disassembly processes of these tubules are easy to observe in living cells, which, in future work, would make it possible to identify compounds that interfere with this process. As regulators of cellular growth, such compounds represent an interesting anti-cancer strategy.