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Results for “Cell Cycle Checkpoints”

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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Frailty of two cell cycle checkpoints which prevent entry into mitosis and progression through early mitotic stages in higher plant cells.

Allium cepa L. root meristems were given two short caffeine treatments spaced by 15 hours, the time which roughly corresponds to the duration of one cell cycle. In this way two subsequent cytokineses were prevented, and multinucleate cells with their in complement distributed into two, three or four nuclei were formed. Though all nuclei started to replicate synchronously in these cells, some of them (fast nuclei) completed their replication earlier than others (slow nuclei). The present report shows that two successive checkpoints operate before prometaphase in these cells. The first one prevents the entry of the fast nuclei into prophase until the slow ones have completed their replication. The second checkpoint ensures the synchronous entry into prometaphase after all nuclei have reached and finished prophase. By treating the multinucleate cells with an inhibitor of DNA synthesis at that time when fast but not slow nuclei had finished their replication, it was observed that both checkpoint mechanisms became leaky with time. Under these conditions the fast nuclei entered prophase in the presence of nuclei which were prevented from finishing the replication of their DNA. Subsequently, even prometaphase was triggered after a prolonged prophase. Finally, as expected from the presence of mitotic stages in these cells, nuclei with incompletely replicated DNA endured premature chromosome condensation. The prematurely condensed chromosomes either remained in a prometaphase-like stage until reconstitution nuclei formed or they followed the progression of the fast nuclei into metaphase and anaphase leading to the appearance of acentric chromosomal segments which after reconstitution gave rise to aneuploid nuclei containing unstable and broken DNA.

Allium↗
PubMed1997

Responses to DNA damage and regulation of cell cycle checkpoints by the ATM protein kinase family.

In mammalian cells, four protein kinases form the PI3-kinase-related protein kinase (PIK) superfamily. These four enzymes-FRAP, DNA-PK, ATM, and ATR-are distinguished by their large size (all are >2500 amino acids), their common primary sequence relatedness through the carboxy-terminal protein kinase domain, and their sequence similarity to the p110 lipid kinase subunit of PI3-kinase. FRAP (FKBP12 and rapamycin-binding protein kinase) participates in mitogenic and growth factor responses in G1 and may regulate specific mRNA translation signals. DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase), ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), and ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad 3 related) are thought to participate in responses to nuclear cues that activate DNA rearrangements or cell cycle arrests. Recent studies in this protein kinase family indicate an important role for ATM and ATR in a meiotic surveillance mechanism that may regulate proper chromosome transmission.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1998

Radiation-induced genetic instability: no association with changes in radiosensitivity or cell cycle checkpoints in C3H 10T1/2 mouse fibroblasts.

We investigated various phenotypic characteristics of radiation-induced morphologically transformed C3H 10T1/2 mouse fibroblasts. The cells were treated with 8 Gy x-rays, and type II/III foci were isolated. Cell lines were developed from these foci, and subsequently clones were established from these focal lines. The clones were examined for DNA content, radiosensitivity and inducible cell cycle arrests. Besides the morphological changes associated with the transformed state, the major difference between the isolated focal lines or derived clones and the parental C3H 10T1/2 line was one of ploidy. The transformed cells often displayed aneuploid and multiple polyploid populations. No change in the radiosensitivity of the transformed cells was observed. Furthermore, the two major radiation- and staurosporine-induced G1 and G2 cell cycle arrests observed in the parental cell line were also observed in the morphological transformants, suggesting that checkpoint function was normal.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1996

Defect in multiple cell cycle checkpoints in ataxia-telangiectasia postirradiation.

The recent description of a novel gene (ATM) mutated in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), with homologies to genes encoding proteins involved in both G1/S and G2/M checkpoint control, points to a common defect in cell cycle control in A-T operating through the cyclin-dependent kinases. In this report we demonstrate that cyclin-dependent kinases are resistant to inhibition by ionizing radiation exposure in A-T cells, and this appears to be due to insufficient induction of WAF1. Exposure of control lymphoblastoid cells to radiation during S phase and in G2 phase causes a rapid inhibition of cyclin A-Cdk2 and cyclin B-Cdc2 activities, respectively. Irradiation led to a 5-20-fold increase in Cdk-associated WAF1 in these cells, which accounts at least in part for the decrease in cyclin-dependent kinase activity. In contrast, radiation did not inhibit any of the cyclin-dependent kinase activities in S phase or G2 phase in A-T cells at short times after irradiation nor was there any significant change in the level of Cdk-associated WAF1 compared to unirradiated cells. These results are similar to those reported previously for the G1 checkpoint and provide additional evidence for the involvement of ATM at multiple points in cell cycle regulation.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗
PubMed1995

Hepatitis B virus HBx protein deregulates cell cycle checkpoint controls.

The human hepatitis B virus (HBV) HBx protein is a small transcriptional activator that is essential for virus infection. HBx is thought to be involved in viral hepatocarcinogenesis because it promotes tumorigenesis in transgenic mice. HBx activates the RAS-RAF-mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling cascade, through which it activates transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappa B, and stimulates cell DNA synthesis. We show that HBx stimulates cell cycle progression, shortening the emergence of cells from quiescence (G0) and entry into S phase by at least 12 h, and accelerating transit through checkpoint controls at G0/G1 and G2/M. Compared with serum stimulation, HBx was found to strongly increase the rate and level of activation of the cyclin-dependent kinases CDK2 and CDC2, and their respective active association with cyclins E and A or cyclin B. HBx is also shown to override or greatly reduce serum dependence for cell cycle activation. Both HBx and serum were found to require activation of RAS to stimulate cell cycling, but only HBx could shorten checkpoint intervals. HBx therefore stimulates cell proliferation by activating RAS and a second unknown effector, which may be related to its reported ability to induce prolonged activation of JUN or to interact with cellular p53 protein. These data suggest a molecular mechanism by which HBx likely contributes to viral carcinogenesis. By deregulating checkpoint controls, HBx could participate in the selection of cells that are genetically unstable, some of which would accumulate unrepaired transforming mutations.

CDC2 Protein Kinase↗
PubMed2003

Molecular anatomy of the DNA damage and replication checkpoints.

Cell cycle checkpoints are signal transduction pathways that enforce the orderly execution of the cell division cycle and arrest the cell cycle upon the occurrence of undesirable events, such as DNA damage, replication stress, and spindle disruption. The primary function of the cell cycle checkpoint is to ensure that the integrity of chromosomal DNA is maintained. DNA lesions and disrupted replication forks are thought to be recognized by the DNA damage checkpoint and replication checkpoint, respectively. Both checkpoints initiate protein kinase-based signal transduction cascade to activate downstream effectors that elicit cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, or apoptosis that is often dependent on dose and cell type. These actions prevent the conversion of aberrant DNA structures into inheritable mutations and minimize the survival of cells with unrepairable damage. Genetic components of the damage and replication checkpoints have been identified in yeast and humans, and a working model is beginning to emerge. We summarize recent advances in the DNA damage and replication checkpoints and discuss the essential functions of the proteins involved in the checkpoint responses.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

An origin-deficient yeast artificial chromosome triggers a cell cycle checkpoint.

Checkpoint controls coordinate entry into mitosis with the completion of DNA replication. Depletion of nucleotide precursors by treatment with the drug hydroxyurea triggers such a checkpoint response. However, it is not clear whether the signal for this hydroxyurea-induced checkpoint pathway is the presence of unreplicated DNA, or rather the persistence of single-stranded or damaged DNA. In a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) we have engineered an approximately 170 kb region lacking efficient replication origins that allows us to explore the specific effects of unreplicated DNA on cell cycle progression. Replication of this YAC extends the length of S phase and causes cells to engage an S/M checkpoint. In the absence of Rad9 the YAC becomes unstable, undergoing deletions within the origin-free region.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗
PubMed2002

A discrete cell cycle checkpoint in late G(1) that is cytoskeleton-dependent and MAP kinase (Erk)-independent.

Cell spreading on extracellular matrix and associated changes in the actin cytoskeleton (CSK) are necessary for progression through G(1) and entry into S phase of the cell cycle. Pharmacological disruption of CSK integrity inhibits early mitogenic signaling to the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) subfamily of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and arrests the cell cycle in G(1). Here we show that this block of G(1) progression is not simply a consequence of inhibition of the MAPK/Erk pathway but instead it reveals the existence of a discrete CSK-sensitive checkpoint. Use of PD98059 to inhibit MAPK/Erk and cytochalasin D (Cyto D) to disrupt the actin CSK at progressive time points in G(1) revealed that the requirement for MAPK/Erk activation lasts only to mid-G(1), while the actin CSK must remain intact up to late G(1) restriction point, R, in order for capillary endothelial cells to enter S phase. Additional analysis using Cyto D pulses defined a narrow time window of 3 h just prior to R in which CSK integrity was shown to be critical for the G(1)/S transition. Cyto D treatment led to down-regulation of cyclin D1 protein and accumulation of the cdk inhibitor, p27(Kip1), independent of cell cycle phase, suggesting that these changes resulted directly from CSK disruption rather than from a general cell cycle block. Together, these data indicate the existence of a distinct time window in late G(1) in which signals elicited by the CSK act independently of early MAPK/Erk signals to drive the cell cycle machinery through the G(1)/S boundary and, hence, promote cell growth.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed2000

Role of RAD9-dependent cell-cycle checkpoints in the adaptive response to ionizing radiation in yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PURPOSE: To determine whether yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) defective in damage-inducible cell-cycle arrest can invoke an adaptive response and become resistant to normally lethal doses of ionizing radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wild-type yeast cells, cells defective for DNA-damage-responsive G1 and G2 cell-cycle arrest (rad9delta), and cells defective for recombinational repair of DNA damage (rad50, 51, 52) were subjected to adapting treatments of heat or radiation and subsequently exposed to normally lethal doses of radiation. Survival, as measured by colony-forming ability, was compared with non-adapted, control cells. RESULTS: Wild-type and rad9delta cells became more resistant to potentially lethal doses of radiation after exposure to conditions that are known to elicit the adaptive response. Further, the relative magnitude of resistance developed by the normal, wild-type and rad9delta yeast cells was similar, with a dose modifying factor (at D1) for radiation-induced radiation resistance of 1.3 for both strains. Dose modifying factors (at D1) for heat-induced radiation resistance were 1.7 and 1.6 for wild-type and rad9delta cells, respectively. In contrast, none of the recombinational repair-defective cells exhibited radiation resistance after an adapting treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of yeast cells to arrest in cell-cycle gap phases did not appear to contribute significantly to radiation resistance induced by radiation or heat. Instead, it is suggested that the adaptive response was due mainly to the existence and enhancement of cellular recombinational repair capacity, which was sufficient to repair any DNA damage without the requirement of a detectable cell-cycle delay.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed2000

Epstein-Barr virus EBNA3C can disrupt multiple cell cycle checkpoints and induce nuclear division divorced from cytokinesis.

Expression of EBNA3C is essential for the immortalization of B cells by EBV in vitro and, in co-operation with activated ras, EBNA3C has oncogenic activity in primary rodent fibroblasts. This suggested that this viral oncoprotein might disrupt the cyclin/CDK-pRb-E2F pathway, which regulates cell cycle progression at the restriction point (R-point) in G1 of the proliferation cycle. An assay was established in which transfected EBNA3C-positive cells could be sorted and simultaneously analysed for their distribution in the cell cycle. This revealed that in NIH3T3 fibroblasts compelled to arrest by serum-withdrawal, EBNA3C induces nuclear division that is often divorced from cytokinesis and so produces bi- and multinucleated cells. This was confirmed using the ecdysone-inducible system for expression of EBNA3C in human U2OS cells and by microinjection of expression vectors into NIH3T3 and U2OS. Further analysis revealed that in the inducible system, EBNA3C expression inhibits the accumulation of p27(K1P1) but not the dephosphorylation of pRb. Experiments using the microtubule destabilizing drug nocodazole, showed that EBNA3C could abrogate the mitotic spindle checkpoint.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

The p53-dependent G1 cell cycle checkpoint pathway and ataxia-telangiectasia.

The p53 protein is a critical participant in a signal transduction pathway which mediates a G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death in mammalian cells after ionizing irradiation. Cells from patients with the cancer-prone, radiation-sensitive disorder, ataxia-telangiectasia (AT), exhibit suboptimal (delayed and/or defective) induction of p53 protein after ionizing radiation with some dependence on dose. Other protein products which participate in this signal transduction pathway, including p21WAF1/CIP1, Gadd45, and Mdm2, are also suboptimally induced in AT cells after ionizing radiation. Induction of p53 is also abnormal in AT cells following treatment with methylmethanesulfonate and bleomycin but appears relatively normal following treatment with UV-C irradiation or the topoisomerase inhibitors, etoposide and camptothecin. These results demonstrate a specific defect in this p53-dependent signal transduction pathway in AT cells. Potential models for this observed specificity of the AT defect as measured by p53 induction include problems with responses to: (a) single-strand, but not double-strand, DNA breaks; or (b) chemically, but not enzymatically, generated DNA ends.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗