Cell cycle regulators in Drosophila: downstream and part of developmental decisions

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.F. Lehner ◽  
M.E. Lane

The molecular identification of an evolutionarily conserved set of cell cycle regulators in yeast, Xenopus egg extracts, and vertebrate cell culture has opened up a new perspective for understanding the mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation during metazoan development. Now we can study how the crucial regulators of eukaryotic cell cycle progression, the various cyclin/cdk complexes (for a recent review see Nigg (1995) BioEssays 17, 471–480), are turned on or off during development. In Drosophila, this analysis is most advanced, in particular in the case of the rather rigidly programmed embryonic cell cycles that generate the cells of the larvae. In addition, this analysis has revealed how the mitotic cycle is transformed into an endocycle which allows the extensive growth of larvae and oocytes. In contrast, we know little about cyclin/cdk regulation during the imaginal proliferation that generates the cells of the adult. Nevertheless, we will also consider this second developmental phase with its conspicuous regulative character, because it will be of great interest for the analysis of the molecular mechanisms that integrate growth and proliferation during development.

1992 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Leiss ◽  
M.A. Felix ◽  
E. Karsenti

Cell cycle progression is controlled by changes in kinase activity of homologs of the fission yeast protein p34cdc2. The p34cdc2 kinase is activated by its association with a cyclin subunit, followed by post-translational modifications. Here, we show that in Xenopus eggs stimulated to enter the early embryonic cell cycle by an electric shock, part of the p34cdc2 becomes associated with subcellular fractions as the eggs progress towards mitosis. This occurs as a result of cyclin accumulation because most of the B-type cyclins and some of the A-type cyclins are found in the particulate fraction. Moreover, as soon as cyclins are degraded, p34cdc2 is released in the soluble fraction. The p34cdc2-cyclin complex can be solubilised by 80 mM beta-glycerophosphate (in the standard MPF extraction buffer) or by high salt concentrations. The post-translational modifications leading to cdc2 kinase activation by cyclin occur in the insoluble form. Following fractionation of egg extracts by sucrose gradient centrifugation, the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex is found in several fractions, but especially in two discrete peaks. We present evidence that in the slow-sedimenting peak the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex is associated with the 60 S subunit of monoribosomes. It could be targeted in this fashion to substrates such as ribosomal proteins and maybe to cytoskeletal proteins, since ribosomes bind to microtubules and are present in the spindle. The p34cdc2-cyclin B complex is also found in a faster-migrating fraction containing various membranous structures, including Golgi stacks. Therefore, as observed by immunofluorescence in other systems, it seems that cyclin subunits target p34cdc2 to specific cellular sites and this is certainly important for its function. In addition, we present preliminary evidence suggesting that some component present in the ribosome-containing fraction is required for activation of the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Du ◽  
Jian Wang

AbstractHow neural stem cells regulate their proliferative potential and lineage diversity is a central problem in developmental neurobiology. Drosophila Mushroom bodies (MBs), centers of olfactory learning and memory, are generated by a specific set of neuroblasts (Nbs) that are born in the embryonic stage and continuously proliferate till the end of the pupal stage. Although MB presents an excellent model for studying neural stem cell proliferation, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control the unique proliferative characteristics of the MB Nbs are largely unknown. Further, the signaling cues controlling cell cycle regulators to promote cell cycle progression in MB Nbs remain poorly understood. Here, we report that JAK/STAT signaling pathway is required for the proliferation activity and maintenance of MB Nbs. Loss of JAK/STAT activity severely reduces the later-born MB neuron types and leads to premature neuroblast termination, which can be rescued by tissue-specific overexpression of CycE and diap1. Higher JAK/STAT pathway activity in MB results in more neurons, without producing supernumerary Nbs. Furthermore, we show that JAK/STAT signaling effector Stat92E directly regulates CycE transcription in MB Nbs. Finally, MB Nb clones of loss or excess CycE phenocopy those of decreased or increased JAK/STAT signaling pathway activities. We conclude that JAK/STAT signaling controls MB Nb proliferative activity through directly regulating CycE expression to control cell cycle progression.


2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ning ◽  
T. J. Chu ◽  
C. J. Li ◽  
A. M. K. Choi ◽  
D. G. Peters

We have utilized serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to analyze the temporal response of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) to short-term chronic hypoxia at the level of transcription. Primary cultures of HAECs were exposed to 1% O2 hypoxia for 8 and 24 h and compared with identical same passage cells cultured under standard (5% CO2-95% air) conditions. A total of 121,446 tags representing 37,096 unique tags were sequenced and genes whose expression levels were modulated by hypoxia identified by novel statistical analyses. Hierarchical clustering of genes displaying statistically significant hypoxia-responsive alterations in expression revealed temporal modulation of a number of major functional gene families including those encoding heat shock factors, glycolytic enzymes, extracellular matrix factors, cytoskeletal factors, apoptotic factors, cell cycle regulators and angiogenic factors. Within these families we documented the coordinated modulation of both previously known hypoxia-responsive genes, numerous genes whose expressions have not been previously shown to be altered by hypoxia, tags matching uncharacterized UniGene entries and entirely novel tags with no UniGene match. These preliminary data, which indicate a reduction in cell cycle progression, elevated metabolic stress and increased cytoskeletal remodeling under acute hypoxic stress, provide a foundation for further analyses of the molecular mechanisms underlying the endothelial response to short-term chronic hypoxia.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung-Won Lee ◽  
Da-Mi Kim ◽  
Ju-Won Jang ◽  
Tae-Geun Park ◽  
You-Soub Lee ◽  
...  

AbstractThe cellular decision regarding whether to undergo proliferation or death is made at the restriction (R)-point, which is disrupted in nearly all tumors. The identity of the molecular mechanisms that govern the R-point decision is one of the fundamental issues in cell biology. We found that early after mitogenic stimulation, RUNX3 bound to its target loci, where it opened chromatin structure by sequential recruitment of Trithorax group proteins and cell-cycle regulators to drive cells to the R-point. Soon after, RUNX3 closed these loci by recruiting Polycomb repressor complexes, causing the cell to pass through the R-point toward S phase. If the RAS signal was constitutively activated, RUNX3 inhibited cell cycle progression by maintaining R-point-associated genes in an open structure. Our results identify RUNX3 as a pioneer factor for the R-point and reveal the molecular mechanisms by which appropriate chromatin modifiers are selectively recruited to target loci for appropriate R-point decisions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-Hua Dong ◽  
Tao Jiang ◽  
Hang Yin ◽  
Hu Song ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractColorectal cancer is the second common cause of death worldwide. Lamin B2 (LMNB2) is involved in chromatin remodeling and the rupture and reorganization of nuclear membrane during mitosis, which is necessary for eukaryotic cell proliferation. However, the role of LMNB2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) is poorly understood. This study explored the biological functions of LMNB2 in the progression of colorectal cancer and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. We found that LMNB2 was significantly upregulated in primary colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines, compared with paired non-cancerous tissues and normal colorectal epithelium. The high expression of LMNB2 in colorectal cancer tissues is significantly related to the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients and the shorter overall and disease-free cumulative survival. Functional analysis, including CCK8 cell proliferation test, EdU proliferation test, colony formation analysis, nude mouse xenograft, cell cycle, and apoptosis analysis showed that LMNB2 significantly promotes cell proliferation by promoting cell cycle progression in vivo and in vitro. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis, luciferase report analysis, and CHIP analysis showed that LMNB2 promotes cell proliferation by regulating the p21 promoter, whereas LMNB2 has no effect on cell apoptosis. In summary, these findings not only indicate that LMNB2 promotes the proliferation of colorectal cancer by regulating p21-mediated cell cycle progression, but also suggest the potential value of LMNB2 as a clinical prognostic marker and molecular therapy target.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 1811-1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Miller ◽  
F.R. Cross

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity is essential for eukaryotic cell cycle events. Multiple cyclins activate CDKs in all eukaryotes, but it is unclear whether multiple cyclins are really required for cell cycle progression. It has been argued that cyclins may predominantly act as simple enzymatic activators of CDKs; in opposition to this idea, it has been argued that cyclins might target the activated CDK to particular substrates or inhibitors. Such targeting might occur through a combination of factors, including temporal expression, protein associations, and subcellular localization.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 6686-6693 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M MacNicol ◽  
A J Muslin ◽  
E L Howard ◽  
A Kikuchi ◽  
M C MacNicol ◽  
...  

The Raf-1 gene product is activated in response to cellular stimulation by a variety of growth factors and hormones. Raf-1 activity has been implicated in both cellular differentiation and proliferation. We have examined the regulation of the Raf-1/MEK/MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway during embryonic development in the frog Xenopus laevis. We report that Raf-1, MEK, and MAPK activities are turned off following fertilization and remain undetectable up until blastula stages (stage 8), some 4 h later. Tight regulation of the Raf-1/MEK/MAPK pathway following fertilization is crucial for embryonic cell cycle progression. Inappropriate reactivation of MAPK activity by microinjection of oncogenic Raf-1 RNA results in metaphase cell cycle arrest and, consequently, embryonic lethality. Our findings demonstrate an absolute requirement, in vivo, for inactivation of the MAPK signaling pathway to allow normal cell cycle progression during the period of synchronous cell divisions which occur following fertilization. Further, we show that cytostatic factor effects are mediated through MEK and MAPK.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Bergé ◽  
Julian Pezzatti ◽  
Víctor González-Ruiz ◽  
Laurence Degeorges ◽  
Serge Rudaz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCoordination of cell cycle progression with central metabolism is fundamental to all cell types and likely underlies differentiation into dispersal cells in bacteria. How central metabolism is monitored to regulate cell cycle functions is poorly understood. A forward genetic selection for cell cycle regulators in the polarized alpha-proteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus unearthed the uncharacterized CitA citrate synthase, a TCA (tricarboxylic acid) cycle enzyme, as unprecedented checkpoint regulator of the G1→S transition. We show that loss of the CitA protein provokes a (p)ppGpp alarmone-dependent G1-phase arrest without apparent metabolic or energy insufficiency. While S-phase entry is still conferred when CitA is rendered catalytically inactive, the paralogous CitB citrate synthase has no overt role other than sustaining TCA cycle activity when CitA is absent. With eukaryotic citrate synthase paralogs known to fulfill regulatory functions, our work extends the moonlighting paradigm to citrate synthase coordinating central (TCA) metabolism with development and perhaps antibiotic tolerance in bacteria.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shixuan Liu ◽  
Miriam B. Ginzberg ◽  
Nish Patel ◽  
Marc Hild ◽  
Bosco Leung ◽  
...  

AbstractAnimal cells within a tissue typically display a striking regularity in their size. To date, the molecular mechanisms that control this uniformity are still unknown. We have previously shown that size uniformity in animal cells is promoted, in part, by size-dependent regulation of G1 length. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying this process, we performed a large-scale small molecule screen and found that the p38 MAPK pathway is involved in coordinating cell size and cell cycle progression. Small cells display higher p38 activity and spend more time in G1 than larger cells. Inhibition of p38 MAPK leads to loss of the compensatory G1 length extension in small cells, resulting in faster proliferation, smaller cell size and increased size heterogeneity. We propose a model wherein the p38 pathway responds to changes in cell size and regulates G1 exit accordingly, to increase cell size uniformity.One-sentence summaryThe p38 MAP kinase pathway coordinates cell growth and cell cycle progression by lengthening G1 in small cells, allowing them more time to grow before their next division.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Madrigal ◽  
Siim Pauklin ◽  
Kim Jee Goh ◽  
Rodrigo Grandy ◽  
Anna Osnato ◽  
...  

AbstractMost mammalian stem cells undergo cellular division during their differentiation to produce daughter cells with a new cellular identity. However, the cascade of epigenetic events and molecular mechanisms occurring between successive cell divisions upon differentiation have not yet been described in detail due to technical limitations. Here, we address this question by taking advantage of the Fluorescent Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) reporter to develop a culture system allowing the differentiation of human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs) synchronised for their cell cycle. Using this approach, we have assessed the epigenome and transcriptome dynamics during the first two divisions leading to definitive endoderm. We first observed that transcription of key markers of differentiation occurs before division suggesting that differentiation is initiated during the progression of cell cycle. Furthermore, ATAC-seq shows a major decrease in chromatin accessibility after pluripotency exit indicating that the first event of differentiation is the inhibition of alternative cell fate. In addition, using digital genomic footprinting we identified novel cell cycle-specific transcription factors with regulatory potential in endoderm specification. Of particular interest, Activator protein 1 (AP-1) controlled p38/MAPK signalling seems to be necessary for blocking endoderm shifting cell fate toward mesoderm lineage. Finally, histone modifications analyses suggest a temporal order between different marks. We can also conclude that enhancers are dynamically and rapidly established / decommissioned between different cell cycle upon differentiation. Overall, these data not only reveal key the successive interplays between epigenetic modifications during differentiation but also provide a valuable resource to investigate novel mechanisms in germ layer specification.


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