# Coupling of Protein Synthesis with Cell Division

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH · 2022 · $373,248

## Abstract

Protein synthesis governs if, how fast, and how many times cells divide. Yet how protein synthesis is
linked molecularly with cell division is unknown. We will use budding yeast as a model system to answer
this problem because yeast has unique properties suited for genetic and biochemical studies. In the
previous period, we identified transcripts that engage with the protein synthesis machinery, the
ribosomes, in the process of translation in synchronously dividing cells that maintained the physiological
coupling of protein synthesis with their division. We will leverage these findings to tackle the long-
standing problem of protein synthesis requirements for cell division. In Aim 1, we will identify how
translational control of lipogenesis impinges on nuclear morphology. We propose experiments to test the
idea that translational control of lipid synthesis, together with lipid-transfer proteins, impact specific parts
of lipid metabolism, to control the morphology of the nucleus in the cell cycle. We will also measure the
changing levels of lipids in the nucleus during cell division. In Aim 2, we will determine how outputs of
one-carbon metabolic pathways change in the cell cycle and respond to translational control. Our data
point to the critical roles of enzymes that are part of the folate-based, one-carbon metabolism. We will
identify how protein synthesis controls the expression of enzymes of one-carbon metabolism. We will
also measure how the different metabolite inputs and outputs of one-carbon metabolic pathways are
allocated at distinct points in the cell cycle. Overall, the research we propose will reveal fundamental
links between cell growth, protein synthesis, and cell division, enabling novel therapeutic interventions in
proliferative diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10402935
- **Project number:** 5R01GM123139-06
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL S POLYMENIS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $373,248
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-26 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10402935

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10402935, Coupling of Protein Synthesis with Cell Division (5R01GM123139-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10402935. Licensed CC0.

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