Certain bacteria and yeast have long been used by researchers as “model organisms” to study the fundamental mechanisms that characterize all living cells. In this project the researchers’ goal is to exploit insights from these model organisms to understand the biology of normal and diseased human cells.
In the first part of their study, the investigators have been characterizing the genes and proteins in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are documenting how mutations in each gene affect of the molecules (called metabolites), which provide the cell with signals, energy and building blocks for cellular structures and recording the effect of mutations on the growth, appearance and viability of the organism.
Through the use of existing technologies and new ones to be developed by the investigators, they are purifying proteins in yeast and other organisms, such as the bacteria E. coli. They are used to create high resolution, 3-D structures of the proteins, and study how these proteins interact in order to reveal the function of the proteins. To provide a more complete picture of the function of these proteins, the investigators are also studying which metabolites or other molecules bind to each protein.
By understanding the basic biology of a model cell, we will gain unprecedented insight into the proteins of human cells. This project is led by scientists at the University of Toronto and will involve collaboration with several centres and consortia in the United States, as well as with the RIKEN Genome Sciences Center in Japan.