TOR and PKA signaling pathways converge on the protein kinase Rim15 to control entry into G0

The highly conserved Tor kinases (TOR) and the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway regulate cell proliferation in response to growth factors and/or nutrients. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, loss of either TOR or PKA causes cells to arrest growth early in G(1) and to enter G(0) by mechanisms that are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that the protein kinase Rim15 is required for entry into G(0) following inactivation of TOR and/or PKA. Induction of Rim15-dependent G(0) traits requires two discrete processes, i.e., nuclear accumulation of Rim15, which is negatively regulated both by a Sit4-independent TOR effector branch and the protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) homolog Sch9, and release from PKA-mediated inhibition of its protein kinase activity. Thus, Rim15 integrates signals from at least three nutrient-sensory kinases (TOR, PKA, and Sch9) to properly control entry into G(0), a key developmental process in eukaryotic cells.     

Sphingolipid signalling mediates mitochondrial dysfunctions and reduced chronological lifespan in the yeast model of Niemann‐Pick type C1

The Niemann‐Pick type C is a rare metabolic disease with a severe neurodegenerative phenotype characterized by an accumulation of high amounts of lipids (cholesterol and sphingolipids) in the late endosomal/lysosomal network. It is caused by loss‐of‐function point mutations in either NPC1 or NPC2, which seem to mediate proper intracellular lipid transport through endocytic pathway. In this study, we show that yeast cells lacking Ncr1p, an orthologue of mammalian NPC1, exhibited a higher sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide and a shortened chronological lifespan. These phenotypes were associated with increased levels of oxidative stress markers, decreased levels of antioxidant defences and mitochondrial dysfunctions. Moreover, we report that Ncr1p‐deficient cells displayed high levels of long chain bases (LCB), and that Sch9p‐phospho‐T570 and Sch9p levels increased in ncr1Δ cells through a mechanism regulated by Pkh1p, a LCB‐activated protein kinase. Notably, deletion of PKH1 or SCH9 suppressed ncr1Δ phenotypes but downregulation of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis had no protective effect, suggesting that LCBs accumulation may result from an increased turnover of complex sphingolipids. These results suggest that sphingolipid signalling through Pkh1p‐Sch9p mediate mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress sensitivity and shortened chronological lifespan in the yeast model of Niemann‐Pick type C disease.     

The role of MAP4K3 in lifespan regulation of Caenorhabditiselegans

The TOR pathway is a kinase signaling pathway that regulates cellular growth and proliferation in response to nutrients and growth factors. TOR signaling is also important in lifespan regulation - when this pathway is inhibited, either naturally, by genetic mutation, or by pharmacological means, lifespan is extended. MAP4K3 is a Ser/Thr kinase that has recently been found to be involved in TOR activation. Unexpectedly, the effect of this protein is not mediated via Rheb, the more widely known TOR activation pathway. Given the role of TOR in growth and lifespan control, we looked at how inhibiting MAP4K3 in Caenorhabditiselegans affects lifespan. We used both feeding RNAi and genetic mutants to look at the effect of MAP4K3 deficiency. Our results show a small but significant increase in mean lifespan in MAP4K3 deficient worms. MAP4K3 thus represents a new target in the TOR pathway that can be targeted for pharmacological intervention to control lifespan.     

Yeast chronological lifespan and proteotoxic stress: is autophagy good or bad?

Autophagy, a highly conserved proteolytic mechanism of quality control, is essential for the maintenance of metabolic and cellular homoeostasis and for an efficient cellular response to stress. Autophagy declines with aging and is believed to contribute to different aspects of the aging phenotype. The nutrient-sensing pathways PKA (protein kinase A), Sch9 and TOR (target of rapamycin), involved in the regulation of yeast lifespan, also converge on a common targeted process: autophagy. The molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of autophagy and aging by these signalling pathways in yeast, with special attention to the TOR pathway, are discussed in the present paper. The question of whether or not autophagy could contribute to yeast cell death occurring during CLS (chronological lifespan) is discussed in the light of our findings obtained after autophagy activation promoted by proteotoxic stress. Autophagy progressively increases in cells expressing the aggregation-prone protein α-synuclein and seems to participate in the early cell death and shortening of CLS under these conditions, highlighting that autophagic activity should be maintained below physiological levels to exert its promising anti-aging effects.     

Caffeine extends yeast lifespan by targeting TORC1

Dietary nutrient limitation (dietary restriction) is known to increase lifespan in a variety of organisms. Although the molecular events that couple dietary restriction to increased lifespan are not clear, studies of the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae have implicated several nutrient-sensitive kinases, including the t arget o f r apamycin c omplex 1 (TORC1), Sch9, protein kinase A (PKA) and Rim15. We have recently demonstrated that TORC1 activates Sch9 by direct phosphorylation. We now show that Sch9 inhibits Rim15 also by direct phosphorylation. Treatment of yeast cells with the specific TORC1 inhibitor rapamycin or caffeine releases Rim15 from TORC1-Sch9-mediated inhibition and consequently increases lifespan. This kinase cascade appears to have been evolutionarily conserved, suggesting that caffeine may extend lifespan in other eukaryotes, including man.     

Sch9 is a major target of TORC1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The Target of Rapamycin (TOR) protein is a Ser/Thr kinase that functions in two distinct multiprotein complexes: TORC1 and TORC2. These conserved complexes regulate many different aspects of cell growth in response to intracellular and extracellular cues. Here we report that the AGC kinase Sch9 is a substrate of yeast TORC1. Six amino acids in the C terminus of Sch9 are directly phosphorylated by TORC1. Phosphorylation of these residues is lost upon rapamycin treatment as well as carbon or nitrogen starvation and transiently reduced following application of osmotic, oxidative, or thermal stress. TORC1-dependent phosphorylation is required for Sch9 activity, and replacement of residues phosphorylated by TORC1 with Asp/Glu renders Sch9 activity TORC1 independent. Sch9 is required for TORC1 to properly regulate ribosome biogenesis, translation initiation, and entry into G0 phase, but not expression of Gln3-dependent genes. Our results suggest that Sch9 functions analogously to the mammalian TORC1 substrate S6K1 rather than the mTORC2 substrate PKB/Akt.     

Reducing sphingolipid synthesis orchestrates global changes to extend yeast lifespan

Studies of aging and longevity are revealing how diseases that shorten life can be controlled to improve the quality of life and lifespan itself. Two strategies under intense study to accomplish these goals are rapamycin treatment and calorie restriction. New strategies are being discovered including one that uses low‐dose myriocin treatment. Myriocin inhibits the first enzyme in sphingolipid synthesis in all eukaryotes, and we showed recently that low‐dose myriocin treatment increases yeast lifespan at least in part by down‐regulating the sphingolipid‐controlled Pkh1/2‐Sch9 (ortholog of mammalian S6 kinase) signaling pathway. Here we show that myriocin treatment induces global effects and changes expression of approximately forty percent of the yeast genome with 1252 genes up‐regulated and 1497 down‐regulated (P < 0.05) compared with untreated cells. These changes are due to modulation of evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways including activation of the Snf1/AMPK pathway and down‐regulation of the protein kinase A (PKA) and target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) pathways. Many processes that enhance lifespan are regulated by these pathways in response to myriocin treatment including respiration, carbon metabolism, stress resistance, protein synthesis, and autophagy. These extensive effects of myriocin match those of rapamycin and calorie restriction. Our studies in yeast together with other studies in mammals reveal the potential of myriocin or related compounds to lower the incidence of age‐related diseases in humans and improve health span.     

环境变化和时序衰老过程中酵母蛋白激酶Sch9磷酸化的调控

出芽酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)蛋白激酶Sch9与哺乳动物蛋白激酶S6K1同源.S6K1是哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mTOR)和磷脂酰肌醇3激酶(PI3K)的底物,且与很多人类疾病相关,包括肥胖症、糖尿病和癌症.Sch9和S6K1都对不同营养条件和环境胁迫条件下的细胞生长调控很重要.Sch9激活环内的磷酸化位点570位苏氨酸残基也被称为PDK1位点,而737位苏氨酸位点也被称为PDK2位点,这两个位点的磷酸化对Sch9的活性非常重要.蛋白激酶Pkh1/2磷酸化Sch9的PDK1位点,而雷帕霉素靶蛋白复合体1(TORC1)磷酸化PDK2位点.为了深入了解Sch9在细胞中的功能,阐明不同环境条件下及时序衰老过程中Sch9的PDK1和PDK2位点磷酸化的调控就显得尤为重要.利用特异性识别570位苏氨酸残基磷酸化的Sch9蛋白和特异性识别737位苏氨酸残基磷酸化的Sch9蛋白的两种抗体,对不同环境条件下和时序衰老过程中Sch9的两个位点的磷酸化调控进行了研究.研究结果揭示了Sch9的两个磷酸化位点在营养感受、胁迫应答、热量限制和时序衰老过程中的调控方式.揭示Sch9的PDK1位点磷酸化的调控与热量限制延长出芽酵母时序寿命密切相关.     

Inhibition of protein synthesis by TOR inactivation revealed a conserved regulatory mechanism of the BiP chaperone in Chlamydomonas

The target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase integrates nutritional and stress signals to coordinately control cell growth in all eukaryotes. TOR associates with highly conserved proteins to constitute two distinct signaling complexes termed TORC1 and TORC2. Inactivation of TORC1 by rapamycin negatively regulates protein synthesis in most eukaryotes. Here, we report that down-regulation of TOR signaling by rapamycin in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii resulted in pronounced phosphorylation of the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP. Our results indicated that Chlamydomonas TOR regulates BiP phosphorylation through the control of protein synthesis, since rapamycin and cycloheximide have similar effects on BiP modification and protein synthesis inhibition. Modification of BiP by phosphorylation was suppressed under conditions that require the chaperone activity of BiP, such as heat shock stress or tunicamycin treatment, which inhibits N-linked glycosylation of nascent proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. A phosphopeptide localized in the substrate-binding domain of BiP was identified in Chlamydomonas cells treated with rapamycin. This peptide contains a highly conserved threonine residue that might regulate BiP function, as demonstrated by yeast functional assays. Thus, our study has revealed a regulatory mechanism of BiP in Chlamydomonas by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events and assigns a role to the TOR pathway in the control of BiP modification.     

BiP links TOR signaling to ER stress in Chlamydomonas

The highly conserved target of rapamycin (TOR) Ser/Thr kinase promotes protein synthesis under favorable growth conditions in all eukaryotes. Downregulation of TOR signaling in the model unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has recently revealed a link between control of protein synthesis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the reversible modification of the BiP chaperone by phosphorylation. Inhibition of protein synthesis by rapamycin or cycloheximide resulted in the phosphorylation of BiP on threonine residues while ER stress induced by tunicamycin or heat shock caused the fast dephosphorylation of the protein. Regulation of BiP function by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events was proposed in early studies in mammalian cells although no connection to TOR signaling has been established so far. Here I will discuss about the coordinated regulation of BiP modification by TOR and ER stress signals in Chlamydomonas.     

植物TOR激酶响应上游信号的研究进展

雷帕霉素靶蛋白(TOR)是真核生物中高度保守的丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶, 能整合营养、能量、生长因子及环境信号, 协调细胞增殖、生长和代谢等过程, 是真核生物生长发育的核心调控因子。近年来, 随着相关研究系统的建立, 植物TOR的功能和机制研究取得了众多突破, 发现其进化上保守的生物学功能及植物中特有的信号通路。该文概述了TOR蛋白复合体的构成, 以及植物TOR响应糖、营养元素(氮、磷和硫)、激素及逆境胁迫信号来调控下游基因转录、蛋白翻译、代谢、细胞自噬和胁迫应答等生物学过程的分子机制, 并提出了植物TOR领域一些亟待解决的科学问题, 以期为全面揭示植物TOR的生物学功能提供参考。     

Sphingolipids and lifespan regulation

Diseases including cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and immune dysfunction and neurodegeneration become more prevalent as we age, and combined with the increase in average human lifespan, place an ever increasing burden on the health care system. In this chapter we focus on finding ways of modulating sphingolipids to prevent the development of age-associated diseases or delay their onset, both of which could improve health in elderly, fragile people. Reducing the incidence of or delaying the onset of diseases of aging has blossomed in the past decade because of advances in understanding signal transduction pathways and cellular processes, especially in model organisms, that are largely conserved in most eukaryotes and that can be modulated to reduce signs of aging and increase health span. In model organisms such interventions must also increase lifespan to be considered significant, but this is not a requirement for use in humans. The most encouraging interventions in model organisms involve lowering the concentration of one or more sphingolipids so as to reduce the activity of key signaling pathways, one of the most promising being the Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1) protein kinase pathway. Other potential ways in which modulating sphingolipids may contribute to improving the health profile of the elderly is by reducing oxidative stresses, inflammatory responses and growth factor signaling. Lastly, perhaps the most interesting way to modulate sphingolipids and promote longevity is by lowering the activity of serine palmitoyltransferase, the first enzyme in the de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway. Available data in yeasts and rodents are encouraging and as we gain insights into molecular mechanisms the strategies for improving human health by modulating sphingolipids will become more apparent. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled New Frontiers in Sphingolipid Biology.     

The TOR pathway comes of age

Studies in a variety of model organisms indicate that nutrient signaling is tightly coupled to longevity. In nutrient replete conditions, organisms develop, grow, and age quickly. When nutrients become sparse as with dietary restriction, growth and development decline, stress response pathways become induced and organisms live longer. Considerable effort has been devoted to understanding the molecular events mediating lifespan extension by dietary restriction. One central focus has been on nutrient-responsive signal transduction pathways including insulin/IGF-1, AMP kinase, protein kinase A and the TOR pathway. Here we describe the increasingly prominent links between TOR signaling and aging in invertebrates. Longevity studies in mammals are not published to date. Instead, we highlight studies in mouse models, which indicate that dampening the TOR pathway leads to widespread protection from an array of age-related diseases.     

Plant target of rapamycin signaling network: Complexes,conservations, and specificities

Target of rapamycin (TOR) is an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase that functions as a central signaling hub to integrate diverse internal and external cues to precisely orchestrate cellular and organismal physiology. During evolution, TOR both maintains the highly conserved TOR complex compositions, and cellular and molecular functions, but also evolves distinctive roles and strategies to modulate cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, survival, and stress responses in eukaryotes. Here, we review recent discoveries on the plant TOR signaling network. We present an overview of plant TOR complexes, analyze the signaling landscape of the plant TOR signaling network from the upstream signals that regulate plant TOR activation to the downstream effectors involved in various biological processes, and compare their conservation and specificities within different biological contexts. Finally, we summarize the impact of dysregulation of TOR signaling on every stage of plant growth and development, from embryogenesis and seedling growth, to flowering and senescence.