HMGB proteins involved in TOR signaling as general regulators of cell growth by controlling ribosome biogenesis

• Published in: Current genetics Vol. 64; no. 6; pp. 1205 - 1213
• Main Authors: Vizoso-Vázquez, A., Barreiro-Alonso, A., González-Siso, M. I., Rodríguez-Belmonte, E., Lamas-Maceiras, M., Cerdán, M. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-12-2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Cancer; Cell Biology; Cell growth; Cell Proliferation - physiology; Chromatin; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA repair; DNA structure; Gene regulation; HMGB Proteins - genetics; HMGB Proteins - metabolism; Humans; Life Sciences; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Nutrient availability; Plant Sciences; Proteins; Proteomics; Rapamycin; Review; Ribosomes; Ribosomes - genetics; Ribosomes - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology; Signaling; TOR protein; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Transcription; Yeast; Yeasts; Cell proliferation; Ribosome; HMG-box; Hmo1; Gene regulation; TOR; HMGB1; Ixr1; UBF1; Cancer
• ISSN: 0172-8083; 1432-0983
• DOI: 10.1007/s00294-018-0842-8

The number of ribosomes and their activity need to be highly regulated because their function is crucial for the cell. Ribosome biogenesis is necessary for cell growth and proliferation in accordance with nutrient availability and other external and intracellular signals. High-mobility group B (HMGB) proteins are conserved from yeasts to human and are decisive in cellular fate. These proteins play critical functions, from the maintenance of chromatin structure, DNA repair, or transcriptional regulation, to facilitation of ribosome biogenesis. They are also involved in cancer and other pathologies. In this review, we summarize evidence of how HMGB proteins contribute to ribosome-biogenesis control, with special emphasis on a common nexus to the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway, a signaling cascade essential for cell growth and proliferation from yeast to human. Perspectives in this field are also discussed.