Genetic study of TOR signaling pathway in fission yeast

TOR是一种保守的蛋白激酶，形成两种不同的复合物，TORC 1和TORC 2。裂变酵母提供了一个强大的遗传系统。TOR信号通路的组成部分Fuxine在裂殖酵母和哺乳动物之间也是保守的。因此，裂殖酵母是研究TOR信号转导分子机制的一个很好的模型系统。裂变酵母有两个TOR，TOR 1和TOR 2。在这项研究中，已经获得了与TORC 1或TORC 2相互作用的新基因：mto1和mtt1。mto1是一个进化上保守的基因，编码一种功能未知的新蛋白。mtt1编码一个具有锌指基序的蛋白质。功能分析表明，它参与精氨酸的代谢。

TOR is a conserved protein kinase, which forms two distinct complexes, TORC1 and TORC2. Fission yeast provides a powerful genetic system. Futhermore, the components of TOR signaling pathway are also conserved between fission yeast and mammalian. Thus fission yeast is an excellent model system to study the molecular mechanisms of TOR signaling. Fission yeast has two TOR, TOR1 and TOR2. In this study, novel genes that intereact with TORC1 or TORC2 have been obtained : mto1 and mtt1. mto1 was a evolutionarily conserved gene which encoded a novel protein of unknown function. mtt1 encoded a protein with a Zn-finger motif. Functional anayysis showed that it was involved in the metabolism of arginine.