- Follicle-stimulating hormone activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is necessary for induction of select protein markers of follicular differentiation. Alam, H., Maizels, E.T., Park, Y., Ghaey, S., Feiger, Z.J., Chandel, N.S., Hunzicker-Dunn, M. J. Biol. Chem. (2004)