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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Studying Cell Cycle-regulated Gene Expression by Two Complementary Cell Synchronization Protocols
Published on: June 6, 2017
Involvement of DNA-dependent protein kinase in normal cell cycle progression through mitosis
Kyung-Jong Lee1, Yu-Fen Lin, Han-Yi Chou
1Division of Molecular Radiation Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.
Abstract:
The catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) plays an important role in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair as the underlying mechanism of the non-homologous end joining pathway. When DSBs occur, DNA-PKcs is rapidly phosphorylated at both the Thr-2609 and Ser-2056 residues, and such phosphorylations are critical for DSB repair. In this study we report that, in addition to responding to DSBs, DNA-PKcs is activated and phosphorylated in normal cell cycle progression through mitosis. Mitotic induction of DNA-PKcs phosphorylation is closely associated with the spindle apparatus at centrosomes and kinetochores. Furthermore, depletion of DNA-PKcs protein levels or inhibition of DNA-PKcs kinase activity results in the delay of mitotic transition because of chromosome misalignment. These results demonstrate for the first time that DNA-PKcs, in addition to its role in DSB repair, is a critical regulator of mitosis and could modulate microtubule dynamics in chromosome segregation.
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