A Cdc7p-Dbf4p protein kinase activity is conserved from yeast to humans

DBF4 and CDC7 were identified as budding yeast cell cycle mutants that arrest immediately before S phase. The Dbf4p and Cdc7p proteins interact to form a protein kinase, Cdc7p being the catalytic subunit and Dbf4p is a cyclin-like molecule that activates the kinase in late G1. Dbf4p also targets Cdc7p to origins of replication where likely substrates include the Mcm proteins. Dbf4p and Cdc7p related proteins occur in the fission yeast and in metazoans. These also phosphorylate Mcm proteins and preliminary evidence indicates a similar function to Dbf4p/Cdc7p in budding yeast. The Dbf4p/Cdc7p activity will therefore very likely be conserved in all eukaryotes.