Previous studies indicated that amino acids may activate the protein kinase activity of the target of rapamycin (TOR) and thereby augment and/or mimic the effects of insulin on protein synthesis, p70^S6k phosphorylation, and multicellular clustering in adipocytes. To identify the individual amino acids responsible for these effects, the present study focused on the TOR substrate and translational repressor 4E-BP1. A complete mixture of amino acids stimulated the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1, decreasing its association with eukaryotic initiation factor eIF-4E. Studies on subsets of amino acids and individual amino acids showed that l-leucine was the amino acid responsible for most of the effects on 4E-BP1 phosphorylation; however, the presence of other amino acids was required to observe a maximal effect. The stimulatory effect of leucine was stereospecific and not mimicked by other branched chain amino acids but was mimicked by the leucine metabolite α-ketoisocaproate (α-KIC). The effect of α-KIC, but not leucine, was attenuated by the transaminase inhibitor (aminooxy)acetate. The latter result indicates that the effects of α-KIC required its conversion to leucine. Half-maximal stimulation of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation occurred at ∼430 μM; therefore, the response was linear within the range of circulating concentrations of leucine found in various nutritional states.