Modulation of TOR kinase activity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Effect of N-starvation and changing carbon pool

Target Of Rapamycin (TOR) kinase is a sensor as well as a central integrator of internal and external metabolic cues. The upstream and downstream signals of this kinase are very well characterized in animals. However, in algae, higher plants and other photosynthetic organisms, the components of the TOR kinase-signaling are yet to be characterized. Here, we establish an assay system to study TOR kinase activity in C.reinhardtii using the phosphorylation status of its downstream target, CrS6K. We further use this assay to monitor TOR kinase activity under various physiological states such as photoautotrophy, heterotrophy, mixotrophy and nitrogen starvation. We observe that autotrophy in light (and not in dark) leads to TOR kinase attenuation during N starvation while the same is not observed in mixotrophy. Importantly, we show that the external carbon source glucose is sensed and uptaken by C.reinhardtii cells only in the presence of light and not in the dark. And such exogenously added glucose, as the photoassimilate carbon mimic, results in enhanced production of ROS, induction of autophagy and concomitant drop in TOR kinase activity, creating N-starvation-like cellular state even in N+ conditions. Interestingly, dose dependent addition of glucose revealed TOR kinase activation in low glucose regime (ROS independent) followed by attenuation of TOR kinase (ROS dependent) at high glucose levels.\n\nSummaryTOR kinase activity in C.reinhardtii is modulated by available carbon source especially glucose, where low levels of glucose cause an increase whereas high levels cause a reduction in TOR kinase activity.