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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Studying Cell Cycle-regulated Gene Expression by Two Complementary Cell Synchronization Protocols
Published on: June 6, 2017
Systems-level feedback in cell-cycle control
Béla Novák1, P K Vinod, Paula Freire
1Oxford Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK. bela.novak@bioch.ox.ac.uk
Abstract:
Alternation of chromosome replication and segregation is essential for successful completion of the cell cycle and it requires an oscillation of Cdk1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1)-CycB (cyclin B) activity. In the present review, we illustrate the essential features of checkpoint controlled and uncontrolled cell-cycle oscillations by using mechanical metaphors. Despite variations in the molecular details of the oscillatory mechanism, the underlying network motifs responsible for the oscillations are always well-conserved. The checkpoint-controlled cell cycles are always driven by a negative-feedback loop amplified by double-negative feedbacks (antagonism).
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