Target of rapamycin TOR is a well-conserved protein kinase in eukaryotes. TOR has been shown to nucleate into two large multiprotein complexes, TORC1 and TORC2. By integrating extracellular signals, such as available nutrients, both complexes are involved in cell growth and stress response. In budding yeast cells, TORC1 is either distributed in a uniform granular arrangement around the vacuole or forms distinct single foci. Although these foci have been observed before, their structural organisation remained largely unknown.
We had a blast working with the groups of Robbie Loewith and Paul Guichard on imaging TORC1 structures in yeast.
Prouteau M., Desfosses A., Mozaffari N.L., Sieben C., Bourgoint C., Demurtas D., Mitra A.K., Guichard P., Manley S., Loewith R., “TORC1 Organised in Inhibited Domains (TOROIDs) regulate TORC1 activity”, Nature, 2017.
Source: NCCR Chemical Biology