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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Analysis of Cell Cycle Position in Mammalian Cells
Published on: January 21, 2012
Conserved functions of the pRB and E2F families
Sander van den Heuvel1, Nicholas J Dyson
1Developmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. vandenHeuvel@uu.nl
Abstract:
Proteins that are related to the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor pRB and the E2F transcription factor are conserved in many species of plants and animals. The mammalian orthologues of pRB and E2F are best known for their roles in cell proliferation, but it has become clear that they affect many biological processes. Here we describe the functions of pRB-related proteins and E2F proteins that have emerged from genetic and biochemical experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. The similarities that have been observed between worms, flies and mammals provide insight into the core activities of pRB and E2F proteins and show how a common regulatory module can control various biological functions in different organisms.
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