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Updated: May 27, 2026
08:13
Manipulation and Analysis of Cell Cycle-Dependent Processes in Budding Yeast
Published on: September 26, 2025
Evolution of networks and sequences in eukaryotic cell cycle control
Frederick R Cross1, Nicolas E Buchler, Jan M Skotheim
1The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA. fcross@rockefeller.edu
Summary
Cell cycle regulation networks show similar structures in yeast and mammals, but use different proteins. This suggests conserved network topology, not specific proteins, is key to evolution.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The G1-S cell cycle transition is fundamental for cell proliferation.
- Budding yeast and mammals exhibit conserved molecular network structures for cell cycle control.
- Divergence in protein sequences performing homologous functions poses evolutionary questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary conservation of cell cycle regulatory networks.
- To understand whether network topology or specific proteins are more conserved.
- To infer the ancestral eukaryotic cell cycle control mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of molecular network structures between yeast and mammals.
- Phylogenetic analysis of eukaryotic lineages.
- Review of existing literature on cell cycle regulators in various eukaryotes.
Main Results:
- Striking similarity in the network structure of G1-S transition between yeast and mammals.
- Dissimilarity in amino acid sequences of proteins with similar network roles.
- Phylogenetic proximity of fungi and animals within opisthokonts.
- Presence of key regulators (Rb, E2F, cyclins) in plants, absent in yeast.
Conclusions:
- Network topology and dynamic properties appear more conserved than individual proteins during evolution.
- The last common eukaryotic ancestor likely possessed a complex cell cycle control network including plant-like regulators.
- Forward genetics in non-opisthokonts like plants is crucial for understanding ancestral eukaryotic cell cycles.
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