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Related Concept Videos

The Cell Cycle Control System02:11

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
The Cell Cycle Control System01:28

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
The Cell Cycle Control System02:11

The Cell Cycle Control System

The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
Inhibition of CDK Activity02:34

Inhibition of CDK Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...

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Studying Cell Cycle-regulated Gene Expression by Two Complementary Cell Synchronization Protocols
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Published on: June 6, 2017

Synchronization of the cell cycle using lovastatin.

Sonia Javanmoghadam-Kamrani1, Khandan Keyomarsi

  • 1Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)
|August 5, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Lovastatin effectively synchronizes human breast cancer cells in G(1) phase. Adding mevalonate releases cells, enabling synchronous progression through the cell cycle for gene expression studies.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Cell cycle synchronization is crucial for studying cellular processes.
  • Lovastatin is known to reversibly arrest cells in the G(1) phase.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of Lovastatin for cell cycle synchronization in human breast cancer cell lines.
  • To determine if mevalonate can release cells from Lovastatin-induced arrest and allow for synchronous cell cycle progression.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells with Lovastatin (10 microM).
  • Release from arrest using mevalonate.
  • Western blot analysis to detect cyclin expression as cell cycle phase markers.

Main Results:

  • Lovastatin induced G(1) phase arrest in 85% of human breast cancer cells.
  • Mevalonate treatment successfully released cells, leading to synchronous entry into late G(1), S, and G(2)/M phases.
  • Cyclin expression patterns confirmed synchronized cell cycle transitions.

Conclusions:

  • Lovastatin is a reliable method for achieving high-yield, synchronized cell populations in human breast cancer cells.
  • This synchronization technique is valuable for investigating gene expression patterns across different cell cycle phases.