Global cellular controls in fission yeast    

Cells are the basic unit of life and we are investigating how they control their own reproduction, growth and internal spatial organisation. Cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) are the master regulators of cell reproduction.  

We will investigate how CDKs are controlled by cell size and DNA content. We will monitor CDK activities, how it is associated with other proteins and the locations of CDK and its substrates in the cell. Cell growth is regulated by target of rapamycin (TOR) enzymes which phosphorylate a range of proteins. We will identify these proteins and determine whether they affect the synthesis of cellular protein and RNA. We will investigate the way the size of the membrane-bound nucleus is tightly controlled by studying membrane transfer in and out of the nucleus.  

These processes are important for understanding how cells work and are relevant to certain diseases, particularly cancer.