# Coupling of Protein Synthesis with Cell Division

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH · 2020 · $333,386

## 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 use budding yeast as a model system to answer this
problem. Because yeast has unique properties, suited for genetic and biochemical experiments. New
methodologies can identify transcripts that engage with the protein synthesis machinery, the ribosomes,
in the process of translation. For the first time in the field, we applied this ribosome profiling methodology
in synchronously dividing cells that maintained the physiological coupling of protein synthesis with their
division. In this collaborative proposal, we will leverage these findings to tackle the long-standing problem
of protein synthesis requirements for cell divisions. In Aim 1, we will determine how translational control
of lipogenic enzymes regulates the remodeling of cellular membranes during cell division. Furthermore,
we will determine how protein synthesis adjusts the production of proteins that trigger duplication of the
spindle pole body, an essential part of the machinery of chromosome segregation. We will also identify
translationally regulated mRNAs under dietary restriction, which changes the size of cells and increases
the number of times cells divide before they die. In Aim 2, we will extend ribosome profiling to settings of
specific ribosomal protein mutants that delay cell division and increase lifespan. These genetic
interventions will enable us to identify mRNA targets of translational control that underpin cell division
and replicative longevity when protein synthesis is limited. Knowing how translational control affects the
timing and number of cell divisions will reveal fundamental links between cell growth, protein synthesis,
cell division and aging, enabling novel therapeutic interventions in proliferative diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9941088
- **Project number:** 5R01GM123139-04
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Rodolfo Aramayo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $333,386
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-26 → 2021-05-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9941088

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9941088, Coupling of Protein Synthesis with Cell Division (5R01GM123139-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-02 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9941088. Licensed CC0.

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