As part of the Ragulator complex it is involved in amino acid sensing and activation of mTORC1, a signaling complex promoting cell growth in response to growth factors, energy levels, and amino acids (PubMed:20381137, PubMed:22980980, PubMed:28935770, PubMed:29107538, PubMed:29123114, PubMed:29158492, PubMed:30181260). Activated by amino acids through a mechanism involving the lysosomal V-ATPase, the Ragulator plays a dual role for the small GTPases Rag (RagA/RRAGA, RagB/RRAGB, RagC/RRAGC and/or RagD/RRAGD): it (1) acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), activating the small GTPases Rag and (2) mediates recruitment of Rag GTPases to the lysosome membrane (PubMed:22053050, PubMed:22980980, PubMed:28935770, PubMed:29107538, PubMed:29123114, PubMed:29158492, PubMed:30181260). Activated Ragulator and Rag GTPases function as a scaffold recruiting mTORC1 to lysosomes where it is in turn activated (PubMed:22980980, PubMed:28935770, PubMed:29107538, PubMed:29123114, PubMed:29158492, PubMed:30181260). Adapter protein that enhances the efficiency of the MAP kinase cascade facilitating the activation of MAPK2 (By similarity). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:O88653, ECO:0000269|PubMed:20381137, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22053050, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22980980, ECO:0000269|PubMed:28935770, ECO:0000269|PubMed:29107538, ECO:0000269|PubMed:29123114, ECO:0000269|PubMed:29158492, ECO:0000269|PubMed:30181260}. This is the function of LAMTOR3 (late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor, MAPK and MTOR activator 3, Ensembl gene identifier ENSG00000109270).