Expression and disruption of the Arabidopsis TOR (target of rapamycin) gene.
TOR (target of rapamycin) protein kinases were identified in yeasts, mammals, and Drosophila as central controllers of cell growth in response to nutrient and growth factors. Here we show that Arabidopsis thaliana possesses a single TOR gene encoding a protein able to complex with yeast 12-kDa FK506-binding protein and rapamycin despite the insensitivity of Arabidopsis vegetative growth to rapamycin. Analysis of two T-DNA insertion mutants shows that disruption of AtTOR leads to the premature arrest of endosperm and embryo development. A T-DNA-mediated translational fusion of AtTOR with the GUS reporter gene allows us to show that AtTOR is expressed in primary meristem, embryo, and endosperm, but not in differentiated cells. The implications of these features for the plant TOR pathway are discussed.
Menand
Benoît
B
Département d'Ecophysiologie Végétale et Microbiologie, Laboratoire du Métabolisme Carboné, Univ-Méditerranée Unité Mixte de Recherche 163, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, Cedex, France.
Desnos
Thierry
T
Nussaume
Laurent
L
Berger
Frédéric
F
Bouchez
David
D
Meyer
Christian
C
Robaglia
Christophe
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006579:Heterozygote; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000378:metabolism; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C080148:tor protein, Drosophila; D022021:Tacrolimus Binding Proteins; D020123:Sirolimus