mTOR signaling in cell surface presentation.
The Jiang lab is interested in the signaling mechanism by which Tor mediates cell growth and proliferation. Tor, a homologue of ATM and the DNA dependent kinase, is a key regulator of cell growth and proliferation in most eukaryotic cells. It is also the target of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin, which exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by specifically inhibiting Tor function in lymphoid cells. Tor controls many diverse cellular processes in response to both nutrient and growth factor signals. Emerging evidence suggests that Tor acts as a checkpoint protein to impinge nutrient signals into growth factor mediated processes. In this view, Tor activity ensures that cell growth occurs only when the nutrient requirement is met. The lab has been using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system to study Tor mediated signaling pathway. Recent studies in his laboratory have established protein phosphatase 2A as a major downstream target of the Tor signaling. His laboratory is currently investigating how Tor mediates PP2A activity and how PP2A relays Tor signaling activity to many cellular processes.