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How cells know they are in G1 or G2
1Cell Cycle Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK.
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|December 1, 1994
Summary
Cell cycle progression relies on specific gene products ensuring that DNA replication (S phase) and cell division (mitosis) occur in the correct order. Cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase complexes regulate these crucial interdependencies.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Molecular biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cell cycle progression requires precise coordination between DNA replication (S phase) and cell division (mitosis).
- Understanding the molecular mechanisms that enforce the dependency of mitosis on S phase and vice versa is fundamental to cell biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms governing cell cycle progression.
- To identify key gene products responsible for maintaining the interdependence of S phase and mitosis.
Main Methods:
- Identification of gene products involved in cell cycle control.
- Analysis of regulatory networks governing cell cycle checkpoints.
Main Results:
- Several gene products critical for maintaining cell cycle order have been identified.
- Oscillations of cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase complexes are central to cell cycle regulation.
Conclusions:
- Cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase complexes play a pivotal role in ensuring the sequential and dependent nature of S phase and mitosis.
- These molecular oscillations are key to maintaining the integrity of the cell division process.