Investigating the process of protein synthesis using the yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism

我们研究计划的总体目标是更好地了解蛋白质合成或翻译的细胞过程。翻译是细胞生存的绝对要求，作为基因表达的最后一步，翻译调控被用来在不同的重要生理条件下调节各种mRNAs的表达，如胚胎发育和癌症。翻译也是许多抗微生物药物的靶点。在接下来的五年里，我们建议使用大规模的遗传交互分析来研究面包酵母酿酒酵母中的翻译。从这些分析中收集的信息将显著影响我们目前对翻译中涉及的蛋白质复合体和途径的理解。我们还希望确定许多新的翻译基因，这将为一些后续项目设定道路。此外，我们计划研究两个新的翻译基因产物Ski2和Tae1的分子活性。我们之前已经提出，这两种蛋白质都参与了翻译机械的生物发生。通过对翻译细节的研究，我们既能更好地理解自然界中蛋白质合成的细胞过程的统一原理，又能衍生出可用于医学应用的新策略，例如开发癌症治疗的新策略，以及新的和改进的抗微生物药物的发展。

The overall goal of our research program is to achieve a better understanding of the cellular process of protein synthesis or translation. Translation is an absolute requirement for the survival of a cell and as a final step of gene expression, translation control is used to regulate the expression of a variety of mRNAs under different important physiological conditions such as embryonic development and cancer. Translation is also the target site of many anti-microbial drugs. During the next five years, we propose to investigate translation using a large-scale genetic interaction analysis in the baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The information gathered from these analyses will significantly impact our current understanding of the protein complexes and pathways involved in translation. We also expect to identify numerous novel translation genes that will set path for a number of follow-up projects. In addition, we plan to investigate the molecular activity of two novel translation gene products, Ski2 and Tae1. We have previously proposed that both these proteins are involved in the biogenesis of translation machinery. By studying the details of translation, we both gain a better understanding of the unifying principles of the cellular process of protein synthesis in nature, and derive novel strategies that could be used in medical applications, such as the development of novel strategies for cancer therapy and advancement of new and improved anti-microbial drugs.