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Published on: May 13, 2022
TOR signaling in plants: conservation and innovation
1Department of Molecular Biology and Centre for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Abstract:
Target of rapamycin (TOR) is an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase that plays a central role in both plants and animals, despite their distinct developmental programs and survival strategies. Indeed, TOR integrates nutrient, energy, hormone, growth factor and environmental inputs to control proliferation, growth and metabolism in diverse multicellular organisms. Here, we compare the molecular composition, upstream regulators and downstream signaling relays of TOR complexes in plants and animals. We also explore and discuss the pivotal functions of TOR signaling in basic cellular processes, such as translation, cell division and stem/progenitor cell regulation during plant development.
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