One step closer to deciphering TOR, the molecular machinery that makes humans and yeast grow

The name might sound like a Nordic god, but it is actually the molecular machinery that allows many different species to eat and grow: fungi, plants, whales, humans, flies. It is the mighty TOR protein. An expedition to Easter Island half a century ago led to its discovery, and today it remains the subject of intense study. Lucas Tafur, a researcher at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has solved the structure of one of the molecular switches that regulate this protein.