Oliver's mTOR Atlas Evidence Platform
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Targets for cell cycle arrest by the immunosuppressant rapamycin in yeast

Heitman J, Movva NR, Hall MN · 1991 · Science · Atlas ID HEI1991

What this study shows

Discovery of the TOR1 and TOR2 genes in yeast as the targets whose disruption causes rapamycin's cell-cycle-arresting toxicity - the original genetic identification of the TOR pathway.

Abstract

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FK506 and rapamycin are related immunosuppressive compounds that block helper T cell activation by interfering with signal transduction. In vitro, both drugs bind and inhibit the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) proline rotamase. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells treated with rapamycin irreversibly arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. An FKBP-rapamycin complex is concluded to be the toxic agent because (i) strains that lack FKBP proline rotamase, encoded by FPR1, were viable and fully resistant to rapamycin and (ii) FK506 antagonized rapamycin toxicity in vivo.

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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: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)) 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 type5 - Mechanistic / In Vitro
Model systemYeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
JournalScience
Year1991
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-08-22
SourceDOI 10.1126/science.1715094 · PMID 1715094

Extracted findings

InterventionRapamycin (FKBP-rapamycin); genetic (FPR1, TOR)
TargetFKBP / TOR
ModelYeast (S. cerevisiae)
EffectFKBP-rapamycin complex arrests cells in G1; identified FKBP and TOR as targets – a foundational discovery

In the Atlas

Related topics

RapamycinmTOR

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Cite this paper

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Heitman, J., Movva, N. R., & Hall, M. N. (1991). Targets for cell cycle arrest by the immunosuppressant rapamycin in yeast. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1715094

@article{HEI1991,
  author       = {Heitman, J. and Movva, N. R. and Hall, M. N.},
  title        = {{Targets for cell cycle arrest by the immunosuppressant rapamycin in yeast}},
  journal      = {Science},
  year         = {1991},
  doi          = {10.1126/science.1715094},
  note         = {PMID: 1715094},
}

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 HEI1991) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/HEI1991/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_HEI1991,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record HEI1991},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/HEI1991/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}