Article on yeast TORC1 control by a plant H+-ATPase published in Scientific Reports

In a novel article entitled “A plant plasma-membrane H+-ATPase promotes yeast TORC1 activation via its carboxy-terminal tail” published in Scientific reports, we further investigate the activation of yeast TORC1 by nutrient uptake. In a previous study, we found that the influx of H+ coupled to active transport of amino acids or other nutrients generates a signal stimulating TORC1 activity. Furthermore, the plasma membrane H+-ATPase (Pma1) proved to be a central actor of this activation, involving more than just establishment of the H+ gradient (Saliba et al. 2018). We now report that a plant H+-ATPase can substitute for Pma1 in yeast to promote H+-elicited TORC1 activation. Furthermore, a mutant form of this H+-ATPase, that remains fully active, fails to activate TORC1, suggesting that the protein signals to TORC1. We discuss the model that fungi and plants might share a conserved mechanism of TORC1 activation that could be crucial in growth control of both categories of organisms. The authors of the study are Elie Saliba, Cecilia Primo, Nadia Guarini and B. André.