Leucyl-tRNA synthetase controls TORC1 via the EGO complex

Bonfils G, Jaquenoud M, Bontron S, Ostrowicz C, Ungermann C, De Virgilio C · 2012 · Molecular Cell · Atlas ID BON2012

What this study shows

In budding yeast, the leucyl-tRNA synthetase Cdc60 bound the Rag GTPase Gtr1, part of the EGO complex that activates TORC1, and this binding depended on leucine. The authors reported that the interaction was both necessary and sufficient to pass the leucine signal on to TORC1. When Cdc60 was busy editing wrongly charged tRNA(Leu), the interaction with Gtr1 was lost. The model is that TORC1 reads how well tRNA(Leu) is being charged as a stand-in for how much leucine the cell has. Together with Han et al. 2012 in human cells, it was one of the early papers to propose a tRNA synthetase as a leucine sensor upstream of the Rags. Boundary: Yeast only. The mammalian leucine sensor most widely accepted today is Sestrin2, and this yeast mechanism has not been reconciled with it. Drafted from the abstract only.

Abstract

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The target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) is an essential regulator of eukaryotic cell growth that responds to growth factors, energy levels, and amino acids. The mechanisms through which the preeminent amino acid leucine signals to the TORC1-regulatory Rag GTPases, which activate TORC1 within the yeast EGO complex (EGOC) or the structurally related mammalian Rag-Ragulator complex, remain elusive. We find that the leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS) Cdc60 interacts with the Rag GTPase Gtr1 of the EGOC in a leucine-dependent manner.

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At a glance

Evidence type	M Molecular — cells, biochemistry, structure Marked M because it is molecular or in-vitro work (model: Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) genetics and biochemistry; LeuRS Cdc60 and EGO complex (Gtr1) interaction assays) rather than a whole-organism health-outcome study. That is often exactly where causal biology gets established -- the code says which system the finding was shown in, and nothing about how good the work is.
Study type	5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model system	Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) genetics and biochemistry; LeuRS Cdc60 and EGO complex (Gtr1) interaction assays
Journal	Molecular Cell
Year	2012
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1016/j.molcel.2012.02.009 · PMID 22424774

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Leucine availability; Cdc60 (LeuRS) mutants affecting tRNA(Leu) editing
Target	Cdc60-Gtr1 interaction; TORC1 activity
Model	Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Effect	Leucine promotes LeuRS (Cdc60) binding to Gtr1, which activates TORC1; tRNA editing by Cdc60 disrupts this

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Bonfils, G., Jaquenoud, M., Bontron, S., Ostrowicz, C., Ungermann, C., & De Virgilio, C. (2012). Leucyl-tRNA synthetase controls TORC1 via the EGO complex. Molecular Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2012.02.009

@article{BON2012,
  author       = {Bonfils, G. and Jaquenoud, M. and Bontron, S. and Ostrowicz, C. and Ungermann, C. and De Virgilio, C.},
  title        = {{Leucyl-tRNA synthetase controls TORC1 via the EGO complex}},
  journal      = {Molecular Cell},
  year         = {2012},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.molcel.2012.02.009},
  note         = {PMID: 22424774},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record BON2012) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BON2012/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_BON2012,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record BON2012},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/BON2012/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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