Whitehead及HHMI研究所与 mTOR通路先驱David Sabatini断绝关系

2021年8月21日，MIT怀特黑德生物医学研究所 (Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research) 发布正式声明，宣布David Sabatini不再与Whitehead研究所及霍华德休斯医学院存在任何关联。据悉，这一严厉制裁举措源于职场性骚扰指控、并经独立第三方调查属实，与学术不端并不相关。

David M. Sabatini，父母为阿根廷移民，1968年出生在纽约。本科毕业于布朗大学，1997年获得约翰霍普金斯大学博士学位，同年获评Whitehead Fellow。2002年成为Whitehead Institute的助理教授（assistant professor），2006年拿到终身教职（tenured professor）。之后担任美国MIT怀特黑德生物医学研究所教授，2008年入选HHMI研究员。

David M. Sabatini最重要的贡献主要为围绕mTOR的开创性研究和成立RNAi Consortium。mTOR（mammalian target of rapamycin, mTOR）在细胞生长、分化、增殖、迁移和存活上扮演重要角色，Sabatini及合作者成功实现了哺乳动物mTOR的分离纯化，由此开启了mTOR信号通路研究的时代【1-3】。此外，Sabatini进一步明确了mTOR存在两种完全不同的多蛋白复合体——mTORC1和mTORC2，以及各自所对应的结合蛋白，启发了后来者针对mTORC1和mTORC2这两条不同路径的通路研究。2005年，Sabatini创立The RNAi Consortium作为shRNA资源库，收录了近160000个RNAi载体信息，靶向15000个人类和小鼠基因【4】，对于RNAi技术的推广应用功不可没。

附：David M. Sabatini的代表性成果及近年著作列表：

mTORC1 senses lysosomal amino acids through an inside-out mechanism that requires the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase. Zoncu, R, Bar-Peled, L, Efeyan, A, Wang, S, Sancak, Y, Sabatini, DM. 2011. Science 334, 678-83.doi: 10.1126/science.1207056PMID:22053050

The Rag GTPases bind raptor and mediate amino acid signaling to mTORC1. Sancak, Y, Peterson, TR, Shaul, YD, Lindquist, RA, Thoreen, CC, Bar-Peled, L, Sabatini, DM. 2008. Science 320, 1496-501.doi: 10.1126/science.1157535PMID:18497260

Phosphorylation and regulation of Akt/PKB by the rictor-mTOR complex. Sarbassov, DD, Guertin, DA, Ali, SM, Sabatini, DM. 2005. Science 307, 1098-101.doi: 10.1126/science.1106148PMID:15718470

mTOR interacts with raptor to form a nutrient-sensitive complex that signals to the cell growth machinery. Kim, DH, Sarbassov, DD, Ali, SM, King, JE, Latek, RR, Erdjument-Bromage, H, Tempst, P, Sabatini, DM. 2002. Cell 110, 163-75. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00808-5PMID:12150925

RAFT1: a mammalian protein that binds to FKBP12 in a rapamycin-dependent fashion and is homologous to yeast TORs. Sabatini, DM, Erdjument-Bromage, H, Lui, M, Tempst, P, Snyder, SH. 1994. Cell 78, 35-43.doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(94)90570-3PMID:7518356

Genome-wide CRISPR screens reveal multitiered mechanisms through which mTORC1 senses mitochondrial dysfunction. Condon, KJ, Orozco, JM, Adelmann, CH, Spinelli, JB, van der Helm, PW, Roberts, JM, Kunchok, T, Sabatini, DM. 2021. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 118, .doi: 10.1073/pnas.2022120118PMID:33483422

MFSD12 mediates the import of cysteine into melanosomes and lysosomes. Adelmann, CH, Traunbauer, AK, Chen, B, Condon, KJ, Chan, SH, Kunchok, T, Lewis, CA, Sabatini, DM. 2020. Nature 588, 699-704.doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2937-xPMID:33208952

MCART1/SLC25A51 is required for mitochondrial NAD transport. Kory, N, Uit de Bos, J, van der Rijt, S, Jankovic, N, Güra, M, Arp, N, Pena, IA, Prakash, G, Chan, SH, Kunchok, T et al.. 2020. Sci Adv 6, .doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe5310PMID:33087354

Dihydroxyacetone phosphate signals glucose availability to mTORC1. Orozco, JM, Krawczyk, PA, Scaria, SM, Cangelosi, AL, Chan, SH, Kunchok, T, Lewis, CA, Sabatini, DM. 2020. Nat Metab 2, 893-901.doi: 10.1038/s42255-020-0250-5PMID:32719541

A PEROXO-Tag Enables Rapid Isolation of Peroxisomes from Human Cells. Ray, GJ, Boydston, EA, Shortt, E, Wyant, GA, Lourido, S, Chen, WW, Sabatini, DM. 2020. iScience 23, 101109.doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101109PMID:32417403

Author Correction: Tumours with PI3K activation are resistant to dietary restriction. Kalaany, NY, Sabatini, DM. 2020. Nature 581, E2.doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2215-yPMID:32405003

Dietary modifications for enhanced cancer therapy. Kanarek, N, Petrova, B, Sabatini, DM. 2020. Nature 579, 507-517.doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2124-0PMID:32214253

Author Correction: mTOR at the nexus of nutrition, growth, ageing and disease. Liu, GY, Sabatini, DM. 2020. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 21, 246.doi: 10.1038/s41580-020-0219-yPMID:32005970

Author Correction: A human ciliopathy reveals essential functions for NEK10 in airway mucociliary clearance. Chivukula, RR, Montoro, DT, Leung, HM, Yang, J, Shamseldin, HE, Taylor, MS, Dougherty, GW, Zariwala, MA, Carson, J, Daniels, MLA et al.. 2020. Nat Med 26, 300.doi: 10.103

新闻来源：

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/20/metro/mit-professor-biotech-founder-placed-leave-following-investigation-into-sexual-harassment/

https://www.businessinsider.com/mits-david-sabatini-on-leave-following-sexual-harassment-investigation-2021-8

制版人：十一

参考文献

1. Chantranupong,L., Wolfson, R., Sabatini, D.M. (2015) Nutrient-Sensing Mechanisms acrossEvolution. Cell 161:67-83.