Cyclin Dependent Kinases, Cdc28 and Pho85, Controlling Nutrient Copper Homeostasis

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This project will study a fundamentally important question in biology, that is, how living organisms monitor and ensure an adequate supply of nutrients during organismal development. Nutrient deprivation is known to stop the cells from dividing. The cell cycle is the most basic process underlying organismal development. One essential nutrient is copper, which is somewhat unique in that it is essential but toxic at high levels. Thus, the cells have to keep a balanced copper level so that it is not too low and not too high. To balance the copper content, the cells must sense and signal the copper status of the environment in which they live and divide. Currently, very little is known about how cells monitor the copper availability so that they either increase or block taking up copper from the environment. This project uses the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study how living organisms secure enough copper for growth and development. Preliminary studies observed in yeast show that copper taken in from the environment is under the control of processes that drive cell division. This discovery shows that the cell cycle and nutrient copper homeostasis are integrated with each other. Thus, the study of cell cycle controlling copper uptake will serve as a model for the understanding of how cells monitor and ensure an adequate supply of nutrients during cell development. The research will not only help to solve a fundamental question in cell biology but also mechanistically link the fields of cell cycle biology, nutrition sciences, and the biology of metal ions. They will expand the current understanding of the roles for the cell cycle in cell biology. This research also provides an excellent opportunity for training graduate and undergraduate students in a multidisciplinary research environment.