Genes

2019 ◽  
pp. 145-161
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Genetic Information ◽  
Replication Errors ◽  
Dna Molecule ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Dna Replication Errors

Two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, carry genetic information of organisms across generations. Many researchers are credited with the early work that laid the foundation of the discovery of the structure of DNA. During cell division, the cell replicates its DNA and organelles during the synthesis (S) phase of the cell cycle. Four main steps are involved in the processes of replication. DNA replication errors and cells have evolved a complex system of fixing most (but not all) of those replication errors proofreading and mismatch repair. With repeated cell division, the DNA molecule shortens with the loss of critical genes, leading to cell death. In gonads, a special enzyme called telomerase lengthens telomeres from its own RNA sequence which serves as a template to synthesize new telomeres. Although most DNA is packaged within the nucleus, mitochondria have a small amount of their own DNA called mitochondrial DNA. This chapter explores this aspect of genes.

MicroRNA-1225-5p acts as a tumor-suppressor in laryngeal cancer via targeting CDC14B

2019 ◽  
Vol 400 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Sun ◽  
Dan Zhang ◽  
Haiping Huang ◽  
Yafeng Yu ◽  
Zhendong Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Cycle Arrest ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Normal Tissues ◽  
Cycle Arrest ◽  
Enhanced Expression ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-1225-5p (miR-1225) in laryngeal carcinoma (LC). We found that the expression of miR-1225 was suppressed in human LC samples, while CDC14B (cell division cycle 14B) expression was reinforced in comparison with surrounding normal tissues. We also demonstrated that enhanced expression of miR-1225 impaired the proliferation and survival of LC cells, and resulted in G1/S cell cycle arrest. In contrast, reduced expression of miR-1225 promoted cell survival. Moreover, miR-1225 resulted in G1/S cell cycle arrest and enhanced cell death. Further, miR-1225 targets CDC14B 3′-UTR and recovery of CDC14B expression counteracted the suppressive influence of miR-1225 on LC cells. Thus, these findings offer insight into the biological and molecular mechanisms behind the development of LC.

scholarly journals Checkpoint signaling abrogation after cell cycle reentry reveals that differentiated neurons are mitotic cells

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaska C Walton ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Iris Patiño-Parrado ◽  
Estíbaliz Barrio-Alonso ◽  
Juan-José Garrido ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Mitotic Activity ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Cyclin E ◽  
Mitotic Checkpoint ◽  
Checkpoint Signaling ◽  
Cell Cycle Reentry ◽  
Mitotic Cells

SUMMARYMitotic activity associated to neuron cell-death instead of cell-division is reported in neurodegenerative diseases. However, why mitotic activity can take place in supposedly postmitotic neurons and how it is associated to cell-death remains largely unexplained. To address these questions, we have studied the response of primary neurons to oncogenic deregulation using a fusion protein based on truncated Cyclin E and Cdk2. Oncogenic Cyclin E/Cdk2 elicits mitotic checkpoint signaling, resulting in cell-cycle arrest and cell-death. However, as in mitotic cells, checkpoint suppression enables oncogenic cell-cycle progression and neuronal division. Further, neurons actively adapt to the cell-cycle by losing and reforming the axon initial segment, which integrates synaptic inputs to sustain action potentials. We conclude that neurons are mitotic cells in a reversible quiescent-like state, which is falsely portrayed as irreversible by mitotic checkpoints. In extension, neuronal death in lieu of cell-division reflects oncosuppressive checkpoint signaling.

scholarly journals Regulation of cell division cycle progression by bcl-2 expression: a potential mechanism for inhibition of programmed cell death.

1996 ◽  
Vol 183 (5) ◽  
pp. 2219-2226 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Mazel ◽  
D Burtrum ◽  
H T Petrie
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Cell Division Cycle ◽  
Cell Cycle Distribution ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Critical Control Point

Expression of the bcl-2 gene has been shown to effectively confer resistance to programmed cell death under a variety of circumstances. However, despite a wealth of literature describing this phenomenon, very little is known about the mechanism of resistance. In the experiments described here, we show that bcl-2 gene expression can result in an inhibition of cell division cycle progression. These findings are based upon the analysis of cell cycle distribution, cell cycle kinetics, and relative phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein, using primary tissues in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro, as well as continuous cell lines. The effects of bcl-2 expression on cell cycle progression appear to be focused at the G1 to S phase transition, which is a critical control point in the decision between continued cell cycle progression or the induction programmed cell death. In all systems tested, bcl-2 expression resulted in a substantial 30-60% increase in the length of G1 phase; such an increase is very substantial in the context of other regulators of cell cycle progression. Based upon our findings, and the related findings of others, we propose a mechanism by which bcl-2 expression might exert its well known inhibition of programmed cell death by regulating the kinetics of cell cycle progression at a critical control point.

scholarly journals Mitogen-independent cell cycle progression in B lymphocytes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Singh ◽  
Matthew H. Spitzer ◽  
Jaimy P. Joy ◽  
Mary Kaileh ◽  
Xiang Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
B Lymphocytes ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Adaptive Immune System ◽  
G1 Phase ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Extensive Cell Death ◽  
Extensive Cell

AbstractThe canonical view of the cell cycle posits that G1 progression signals are essential after each mitosis to enter S phase. A subset of tumor cells bypass this requirement and progress to the next cell division in the absence of continued signaling. B and T lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system undergo a proliferative burst, termed clonal expansion, to generate pools of antigen specific cells for effective immunity. There is evidence that rules for lymphocyte cell division digress from the canonical model. Here we show that B lymphocytes sustain several rounds of mitogen-independent cell division following the first mitosis. Such division is driven by unique characteristics of the post mitotic G1 phase and limited by extensive cell death that can be circumvented by appropriate anti-apoptotic signals. An essential component for continued cell division is Birc5 (survivin), a protein associated with chromosome segregation in G2/M. Our observation provides direct evidence for Pardee’s hypothesis that retention of features of G2M in post-mitotic cells could trigger further cell cycle progression. The partially active G1 phase and propensity for apoptosis that is inherited after each division may permit rapid burst of proliferation and cell death that are hallmarks of immune responses.

scholarly journals Modified base-binding EVE and DCD Domains Implicated in the Origins of Programmed Cell Death and the piRNA Pathway

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Bell ◽  
Yuri I. Wolf ◽  
Eugene V. Koonin
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cytochrome C ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Cell Cycle Control ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Germline Development ◽  
Dna And Rna

AbstractBackgroundDNA and RNA of most cellular life forms and many viruses contain an expansive repertoire of modified bases. The modified bases play diverse biological roles that include both regulation of transcription and translation, and protection against restriction endonucleases and antibiotics. Modified bases are often recognized by dedicated protein domains. However, the elaborate networks of interactions and processes mediated by modified bases are far from being completely understood.ResultsWe present a comprehensive census and classification of EVE domains that belong to the PUA/ASCH domain superfamily and bind various modified bases in DNA and RNA. Prokaryotes encode two classes of EVE domain proteins, slow-evolving and fast-evolving. The slow-evolving EVE domains in α-proteobacteria are embedded in a conserved operonic context that implies involvement in coupling between translation and respiration, in particular, cytochrome c biogenesis, potentially, via binding 5-methylcytosine in tRNAs. In β and γ-proteobacteria, the conserved associations implicate the EVE domains in the coordination of cell division, biofilm formation, and global transcriptional regulation by non-coding 6S small RNAs, which are potentially modified and bound by the EVE domains. Down-regulation of the EVE-encoding operons might cause dormancy or programmed cell death (PCD). In eukaryotes, the EVE-domain-containing THYN1-like proteins appear to inhibit PCD and regulate the cell cycle, likely, via binding 5-methylcytosine and its derivatives in DNA and/or RNA. Thus, the link between PCD and cytochrome c that appears to be universal in eukaryotes might have been inherited from the α-proteobacterial, proto-mitochondrial endosymbiont and, unexpectedly, could involve modified base recognition by EVE domains. In numerous prokaryotic genomes, fast-evolving EVE domains are embedded in defense contexts, including toxin-antitoxin modules and Type IV restriction systems, all of which can also induce PCD. These EVE domains likely recognize modified bases in invading DNA molecules and target them for restriction. We additionally identified EVE-like prokaryotic Development and Cell Death (DCD) domains that are also implicated in defense functions including PCD. This function was inherited by eukaryotes but, in animals, the DCD proteins apparently were displaced by the extended Tudor family, whose partnership with Piwi-related Argonautes became the centerpiece of the piRNA system.ConclusionsRecognition of modified bases in DNA and RNA by EVE-like domains appears to be an important, but until now, under-appreciated, common denominator in a variety of processes including PCD, cell cycle control, antivirus immunity, stress response and germline development in animals.

The cellular effect of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on the mammalian embryo

Development ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-135
Author(s):  
John Bannigan ◽  
Jan Langman
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Purkinje Cells ◽  
Congenital Malformations ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Proliferating Cells ◽  
Cell Cycle Time ◽  
Mammalian Embryo ◽  
Rhombic Lip

It is well known that 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) when injected into pregnant animals may cause exencephaly, cleft palate, and limb abnormalities. Similarly, it is well established that the drug when added to a culture medium may prevent differentiation of embryonic cell systems without affecting cell division or cell viability. The goal of our experiments was to examine whether the congenital malformations resulting from BUdR treatment were due to lack of differentiation of certain cell lines or were due to other mechanisms. The effects of BUdR on proliferating and differentiating cells in the 12-day mouse embryo were therefore examined and special attention was given to the proliferating cells of the rhombic lip which give rise to the Purkinje cells. When the embryos were treated with BUdR the mitotic index of the neuroepithelium of the rhombic lip doubled in value 3 h after treatment and remained high until 24 h later. By using the colchicine index it was calculated that the mitotic duration in the BUdR-treated embryos lasted at least 2 h and that in the control embryos less than 1 h. When the cell generation time in the BUdR treated animals was calculated the length of the S-phase was increased by about 50%. It was thus concluded that BUdR caused an increase in the duration of the S-phase and mitosis, together making the cell cycle 5 h longer than normal. Eighteen hours after treatment many neuroepithelial cells became degenerative. By radioautography it was demonstrated that the degenerating cells were in their second DNAsynthetic phase following BUdR injection and that cells which incorporated BUdR and were differentiating into neurons were not affected. By injecting [3H]BUdR it was found that many cells which incorporated the analogue were able to leave the proliferative population after their first cell division. They migrated to the periphery where they developed into apparently normal Purkinje cells. The additive effects of cell death and retardation of the cell cycle caused a 15% deficit of Purkinje cells in the postnatal cerebellum but the BUdR did not interfere with their differentiation. Thus, contrary to the BUdR effect on cultures of embryonic cells, in vivo the drug causes cell death and a delay in the cell cycle time. Our experiments therefore seem to indicate that the congenital malformations caused by BUdR in the mammalian embryo are caused by cell death and growth retardation rather than by interference with the process of differentiation.

Promising Pre-Clinical Activity of A-1014907, a Dual Inhibitor of Aurora Kinases and VEGFR in Multiple Myeloma

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 1848-1848
Author(s):  
Utkarsh Painuly ◽  
Vijay G. Ramakrishnan ◽  
Teresa K. Kimlinger ◽  
S. Vincent Rajkumar ◽  
Shaji K. Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Aurora B ◽  
Erk Pathway ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Aurora Kinases ◽  
Sister Chromatids

Abstract Abstract 1848 Background: Aurora kinases play an important role in cell division by controlling chromatid segregation. Aberrant functions of aurora kinases result in genetic instability, a condition often seen in cancers. While Aurora A is important in the alignment of the sister chromatids, Aurora B, a spindle fiber associated kinase, heavily influences the equal division of sister chromatids and along with the Aurora C kinase also assists in a regulated cell division. Inhibition of either of the Aurora family kinases affects chromosomal alignment and segregation during the course of cell division resulting in polyploidy, cell growth arrest and ultimately cell death. VEGF has been implicated in the increased angiogenesis in MM patients. Increase in VEGF levels leads to upregulation in the Ras/Mek/Erk pathway and increased angiogenesis, cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Inhibiting this pathway has shown to induce apoptosis in MM cells. We therefore investigated the role of a small molecule inhibitor A-1014907 that inhibits both aurora kinases and VEGF stimulated Ras/Mek/Erk pathway. Methods: A-1014907 was synthesized and provided by Abbott Laboratories Ltd. Stock solutions were made in DMSO, and subsequently diluted in RPMI-1640 medium for use. MM cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 10% fetal bovine serum, penicillin, and streptomycin. Cytotoxicity was measured using the MTT viability assay and proliferation using thymidine uptake. Apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry upon cell staining with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) for cell lines and patient cells. Immunoblotting was done on cell extracts at various time points following incubation with the drug in order to study the cell signaling pathways. Results: A-1014907 was able to induce cytotoxicity and inhibit proliferation in all MM cell lines tested with IC50 values between 50–100nM. Similar extents of inhibition of proliferation was also observed when MM cells were co-cultured with bone marrow stromal cells or HUVEC cells or tumor promoting cytokines IL6, IGF and VEGF. The increase in cytotoxicity was due to apoptotic cell death observed in both MM cell lines and patient cells. Cell cycle assays demonstrated that A-1014907 was able to induce cell cycle arrest at the G2/M stage of cell cycle followed by polyploidy indicative of Aurora B inhibition. We also observed an increase over time the proportion of cells in sub G0/G1 stage indicative of cell death. Western blots were performed to understand the mechanism of action of A-1014907. We observed that A-1014907 was able to significantly down regulate Aurora B activity as measured by pHistone H3 (Ser 10) down regulation. This was accompanied by up regulation of p21 and down regulation of CDK4 and cyclin E both indicative of G2/M arrest. We also observed the ability of A-1014907 to inhibit the Ras/Mek/Erk pathway by measuring levels of pErk post treatment with the drug. A-1014907 potently inhibited pErk levels and this down regulation was also observed when MM cells were co-cultured with either VEGF or HUVEC cells. Furthermore, A-1014907 at sub IC50 doses induced synergistic cell death of MM cell lines when combined with sub IC50 doses of dexamethasone Conclusion and current studies: A-1014907 clearly inhibits the Ras/Mek/Erk pathway and aurora B activity and induces apoptosis in MM cell lines and patient cells. We are currently using siRNA to aurora A in combination with A-1014907. We are also examining the mechanism of action of dexamethasone in combination with A-1014907. All this will help to design clinical trials with A-1014907 either alone or in combination with other anti-MM agents in MM patients. Disclosures: Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding.

Genomic components of carcinogenesis

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 2375-2385 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Schmandt ◽  
G B Mills
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Growth Factors ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Programmed Cell Death ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Normal Cells ◽  
Biochemical Pathways

Abstract Many of the genes encoding growth factors, growth factor receptors, enzymes, and other effector molecules that regulate normal cell growth are designated protooncogenes. Oncogenes, those genes associated with cellular transformation, differ from their protooncogenic progenitors by being mutated, overexpressed, or expressed at inappropriate times or locations in the cell. One of the activities of growth factors is to prime cells to undergo programmed cell death, which is characterized by a series of morphologic changes called apoptosis. In normal cells, specific mediators must be activated or suppressed to bypass programmed cell death. In tumor cells, either the pathways leading to apoptosis are not functional or the mediators that normally "rescue" cells from this fate are overexpressed or constitutively activated. In addition to the biochemical pathways that drive cell division, there are others that limit cell proliferation; these, designated tumor suppressors, anti-oncogenes, or recessive oncogenes, must be inactivated in normal cells to allow passage through the cell cycle and cell proliferation. In contrast to oncogenes, which are overexpressed or activated in tumors, tumor-suppressor genes are frequently inactivated in tumor cells, either by mutation or deletion. Thus, in normal cells a series of checks and balances must be overcome to allow initiation and continuation of cell division. In tumors, these processes are aberrant, resulting in increased rates of cell division, increases in the proportion of cells in the cell cycle, or increased survival of activated cells. Therefore, tumor cells frequently accumulate genomic alterations, which may result in the activation of a particular array of oncogenes, the inactivation of specific tumor-suppressor genes, and the bypassing of programmed cell death. Trials of antitumor agents that act by exploiting the overexpression of oncogenes in tumors and of the biochemical pathways by which they mediate cell proliferation are currently underway.

scholarly journals Oxidative damage diminishes mitochondrial DNA polymerase replication fidelity

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 817-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P Anderson ◽  
Xuemei Luo ◽  
William Russell ◽  
Y Whitney Yin
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Replication Errors ◽  
Mtdna Mutations ◽  
High Mutation Frequency ◽  
Dna Replication Errors ◽  
Template Dna ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna Polymerase

Abstract Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) resides in a high ROS environment and suffers more mutations than its nuclear counterpart. Increasing evidence suggests that mtDNA mutations are not the results of direct oxidative damage, rather are caused, at least in part, by DNA replication errors. To understand how the mtDNA replicase, Pol γ, can give rise to elevated mutations, we studied the effect of oxidation of Pol γ on replication errors. Pol γ is a high fidelity polymerase with polymerase (pol) and proofreading exonuclease (exo) activities. We show that Pol γ exo domain is far more sensitive to oxidation than pol; under oxidative conditions, exonuclease activity therefore declines more rapidly than polymerase. The oxidized Pol γ becomes editing-deficient, displaying a 20-fold elevated mutations than the unoxidized enzyme. Mass spectrometry analysis reveals that Pol γ exo domain is a hotspot for oxidation. The oxidized exo residues increase the net negative charge around the active site that should reduce the affinity to mismatched primer/template DNA. Our results suggest that the oxidative stress induced high mutation frequency on mtDNA can be indirectly caused by oxidation of the mitochondrial replicase.

scholarly journals Cell cycle, cell division, cell death

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 732-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Shaub Maddox ◽  
Jan M. Skotheim
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Division Cell
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