Award
National Institute of General Medical Sciences 5R01GM145814-04
A tRNA synthetase is an amino acid sensor for TOR in plants
Recipient
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Award Amount
$320,956.00
Ceiling
$320,956.00
Awarded
August 07, 2025
Identifier
5R01GM145814-04
Research project funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to study how an aminoacyl tRNA synthetase acts as an amino acid sensor to activate the TOR protein kinase in plants, with implications for metabolic regulation and human health.
Description
This project aims to elucidate how TOR senses amino acids in plant cells through an aminoacyl tRNA synthetase (aaRS), which is necessary to maintain TOR activity and sufficient to stimulate TOR in plant cells. Using biochemical, molecular, genetic, and systems-level approaches, the project will define how aaRS activates TOR, map the signal transduction pathway mediating aaRS-TOR activation, and establish the amino acid sensitivity of TOR for specific amino acids. The findings will contribute to understanding metabolic regulation and signal transduction pathways, with potential implications for improving human health.