Characterization of an N-terminally truncated cyclin A isoform in mammalian cells

Cyclin A is essential for regulating key transitions in the eukaryotic cell cycle including initiation of DNA replication and mitosis. This paper describes the characterization of a truncated cyclin A isoform (cyclin A(t)) in vitro in cultured mammalian cells and in mouse tissues. The presence of cyclin A(t) in specific cell types correlates with the ability of cell extracts to cleave in vitro translated cyclin A. In CHO-K1 cells, cyclin A processing to cyclin A(t) occurs at the N terminus; it does not involve the 26 S proteasome, nor could it be induced by conditional overexpression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1). However, high cell densities lead to increased cyclin A(t) levels. Unlike full-length cyclin A, cyclin A(t) localizes to the cytoplasm, where it binds Cdk2. The data suggest that cyclin A processing occurs in vivo to yield an N-terminally truncated isoform by an unknown mechanism that is regulated by cell density. Differential subcellular localization may provide the first insights into the physiological role of cyclin A(t).