Cell Cycle, Apoptosis and Cancer Flashcards
2 main phases of the cell cycle
- Interphase–> growth of the cell. Made up for G1, S, G0 and G2
- Mitosis–> cell division
What main phase do cells spend most of their time in?
Interphase
G1 phase
RNA and proteins synthesis occur
Cell growth
Takes 4 hours
S phase
- Replication: DNA is replicated to form homologs. Each chromatid now has a sister chromatid that is connected by a centromere (a chromosome).
- Histone synthesis
The S phase takes 8 hours.
What is the order of phases
G1/G0–>S–>G2–>Mphase
Mitosis consists of what two important steps
Nuclear division (which occurs at the beginning) & Cell division (cytokinesis) at the end
Cytokinesis
Cell division
G2
Preparation for mitosis occurs.
Takes 12 hours.
G0 phase
Cells enter the G0 phase as a result of poor nutrient/environmental conditions. Thus, they withdraw from the cycle.
Different types of cells end here: neurons, cardiac muscles and RBCs
No cell growth or division occurs here.
Summary of length of time G1, S and G2 phase take
G1- 4 hours
S- 8 hours
G2- 12 hours
What are the stages of the cell cycle where errors are checked?
There is 1 restriction points
3 checkpoints (G1 checkpoint, G2 checkpoint and metaphase checkpoint).
What occurs at the restriction point?
Restriction point occurs 2 hours before the S phase.
If growth factors are not present, restriction occurs and the cell is transferred to G0.
When exiting from the Restriction Point, are growth factors needed?
No. Exit from the Restriction Point does NOT require growth factors.
G1 Checkpoint
The G1 checkpoint occurs right after the restriction point.
Here, we examine DNA to make sure it is free of damage before replication occurs.
G2 Checkpoint
Occurs to see if any errors in DNA replication occurred.
Metaphase Checkpoint
Ensure that the chromosomes are attached to the mitotic spindle and aligned correctly
What activates the cell cycle?
Growth factors
What alters the cell cycle?
Cell signaling
Cell signaling can lead to
- Apoptosis
- Proliferation
- Differentiation
The interplay in between cell signals is what keeps the cell cycle in check.
How can the G1 checkpoint be regulated?
G1 Checkpoint can be regulated by the binding of Mitogen.
Mitogen is a growth factor.
1. When it binds to a mitogen receptor, it acts through a RAS pathway to initiated an intracellular cascade of events.
- Mitogen will activate [Myc], a transcription factor that drives cell proliferation.
- [Myc] increases G1-cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) levels.
- G1-CDK will phosphorylate Retinoblastima (Rb).
- Phospho-Rb will release sequestered E2F
What does E2F do?
E2F drives cells from G1–> S phase.
How does retinoblastima (Rb) and cyclin work together?
When not phosphorylated, Rb sequesters E2F so that it will not bind to DNA. Thus, we cannot proceed to S phase.
Remember we said that E2F drives cells from G1 to S phase.
When Rb is phosphorylated, it releases E2F into the nucleus so that the cell can proceed to the S phase.
What drives cells from G1–>S phase of the cell cycle?
When Rb is phosphorylated, it releases the sequestered E2F and thus, activating it.
Thus, the cell can now divide :)
In non-dividing cells (neurons, cardiac muscle, RBC), is Rb phosphorylated or no?
Rb is not phosphorylated, which causes the sequester of E2F.
Ex. in neurons, cardiac muscles, heart; retinoblastoma will not be phosphorylated
What is the heart of the cell-cycle control system?
The heart of the cell-cycle control system is the
What are cyclins?
Cyclins are proteins that interact with CDK and regulate their activity.
When is CDK active?
CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) are only active when cyclin is present.
Does cyclin expression remain the same throughout the cell cycle?
No, cyclin expression rises and falls, causing kinase activity to rise and fall as well.
What does a cyclin-CDK complex do?
[Cyclin-CDK complexes] regulate cell cycle events.
When CDK is activated with cyclin, it activates its kinase activity.
When cyclin binds to CDK, is it fully activated?
No. To fully activate a cyclin-CDK complex, we need
CAK (CDK-activating kinase). CAK will phosphorylate the the complex at the CAVE site and activate it :)
What are inhibitors of the fully activated cyclin-CDK complex?
- WEE1 kinase
- p27
[WEE1 Kinase and P27] are both CDK inhibitors.
WEE1 Kinase
WEE1 Kinase is a CDK inhibitor.
It will phosphorylate the cyclin-CDK complex again (because CAK phosphorylates it to active it). Phosphorylation a second time inactivates it.
What is the mechanism of activation of CDK?
Without cyclin bound,
- CDK has a T loop that blocks its active site.
- When cyclin binds, the T loop moves out of the active site, activating the [cyclin-CDK complex].
-CAK will then come in and phosphorylate the T-loop, fully activating the cyclin-CDK complex!
Which cyclin complexes help the cells pass through the restriction point in late G1 phase?
Cyclin D-CDK4
Cyclin D-CDK6
How can cyclin-CDK complexes be regulated?
- Phosphorylation.
ex. WEE1 Kinase, CDC25 Phosphotase - CKI (cyclin kinase inhibitors)
ex. P27 - Proteolysis of cyclin by a proteosome
ex. APC
How is CDK activity primarily determined?
By the rise and fall of cyclin levels
Phosphorylation regulation of cyclin-CDK complexes
Cyclin-CDK complexes are fully active when CAK (CDK activating kinase) activates the cave site of CDK.
However; WEE1 Kinase is an enzyme that phosphorylates the ROOF site of CDK, inactivating the CDK activity.
As we have discussed, WEE1 Kinase will phosphorylate the roof site of CDK, inactivating the complex. Can we reverse this?
Yes. We can reverse this using [CDC25 phosphotase]. This will dephosphorylate the roof site and increase CDK activity.
CKI and cyclin-CDK activity
P27 is a CKI.
P27 will bind to the complex and inactivate it. P27 regulates early cell events (G1–>S phase).
As we have discussed, cyclin levels vary throughout the cell cycle and thus, regulate the levels of active CDK. What causes cyclin levels to drop as we go from metaphase–> anaphase?
Cyclin turnover is regulated by a signal-dependent protein degradation via anaphase-promoting complex (APC also called cyclosome).
APC is really important to progress from metaphase–> anaphase.
What is APC?
APC is a ubquitin ligase that is about 11-13 subunits.
APC is anaphase-promoting complex (aka cyclosome). It is responsible for decreasing levels of cylin M and S so that we can go from metaphase–> anaphase.
What is ubiquitin?
Ubiquitin is a protein that attaches to LYSINE residues on target and tags for degradation by a proteosome.
its a small 76 AA protein that exists in all eukaryotic cells.
What exactly does APC do?
[Anaphase promoting complex] is responsible for cyclin turnover, thus, it decreases levels of cyclin S and cyclin M to allow us to go from metaphase–> anaphase.
APC will ubiquitinize cyclin, marking it for degradation by a proteosome, decreasing levels. By decreasing cyclin, it decreases levels of CDK as well.