Adams-Brown Summer E, Reid Ke Zhang
Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Mar 21;26(7):2845. doi: 10.3390/ijms26072845.
One of the biggest challenges to eukaryotic gene expression is coordinating transcription in the nucleus and protein synthesis in the cytoplasm. However, little is known about how these major steps in gene expression are connected. The Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway is crucial in connecting these critical phases of gene expression. Highly conserved among eukaryotic cells, TOR regulates growth, metabolism, and cellular equilibrium in response to changes in nutrients, energy levels, and stress conditions. This review examines the extensive role of TOR in gene expression regulation. We highlight how TOR is involved in phosphorylation, remodeling chromatin structure, and managing the factors that facilitate transcription and translation. Furthermore, the critical functions of TOR extend to processing RNA, assembling RNA-protein complexes, and managing their export from the nucleus, demonstrating its wide-reaching impact throughout the cell. Our discussion emphasizes the integral roles of TOR in bridging the processes of transcription and translation and explores how it orchestrates these complex cellular processes.
真核基因表达面临的最大挑战之一是协调细胞核中的转录和细胞质中的蛋白质合成。然而，对于基因表达中这些主要步骤是如何联系的，人们知之甚少。雷帕霉素靶蛋白（TOR）信号通路在连接基因表达的这些关键阶段中起着至关重要的作用。TOR在真核细胞中高度保守，它根据营养物质、能量水平和应激条件的变化来调节生长、代谢和细胞平衡。本综述探讨了TOR在基因表达调控中的广泛作用。我们着重介绍了TOR如何参与磷酸化、重塑染色质结构以及管理促进转录和翻译的因子。此外，TOR的关键功能还扩展到RNA加工、RNA-蛋白质复合物的组装以及管理它们从细胞核的输出，这表明它在整个细胞中具有广泛的影响。我们的讨论强调了TOR在衔接转录和翻译过程中的不可或缺的作用，并探讨了它如何协调这些复杂的细胞过程。
