Health and Disease: Cell Cycle Prof. Blair Flashcards
Give the phases of interphase?
G1, S and G2. Also G0 but this is newly found and still being researched.
Describe G1?
Major variable length phase for cell growth and expansion. Approximately 9 hours long.
What happens when cells become quiescent?
They get locked in G1 phase.
How long is S phase?
Approximately 10 hours.
Describe G2 phases?
For preparation for mitosis, approximately 4-5 hours long.
What is cytokinesis?
The contractile ring separating daughter cells at the end of telophase.
What does cell viability and integrity depend on?
Accurate duplication and segregation. The genome must be correctly copied once and divided equally between the daughter cells.
What is mitosis?
All phases except for interphase, it lasts approximately 30 minutes.
What routes can cells take?
Grow and divide (possible proliferation), differentiation, death (apoptosis), rest (possible quiescence).
What methods can be used to study the mammalian cell cycle?
Cell synchronisation using reversible inhibitors, DNA synthesis using bromodeoxyuridine and anti-BUdR antibodies, DNA content using flow cytometry (FACS), plant detect S-phase cell with pulse labelling and nucleotide analogue BrdU.
How is cell synchronisation using reversible inhibitors used to study the mammalian cell cycle?
Colcemid binds microtubules- inhibits M phase by freezing the microtubules, reversible inhibitor, thymidine or hydroxyurea inhibit DNA replication in S phase when in high concentrations.
What is the disadvantage with studying mammalian cells using cell synchronisation using reversible inhibitors?
No method to block in G1 or G2 phase.
How can FACS, DNA content measurement using flow cytometry, be used to study the cell cycle in mammalian cells?
Use a graph which can have a program fitted to identify stages and use different reagents to ID etify different things.
What is the disadvantages with studying mammalian cell cycle with plant detect S-phase cell with pulse labelling and nucleotide analogue BrdU?
Shows very few cells in mitosis.
Name the main steps of the cell cycle?
Interphase, prophase (early then late), metaphase, anaphase, telophase (and cytokinesis).
What are some systems to study the cell cycle?
Cell fusion between cells in different stages of the cycle (uses polyethylene glycol to fuse plasma membranes)
Frog and amphibian eggs and embryos (Led to discovery of maturation or mitosis promoting factor or MPF)
Fission and budding yeast (Led to discovery of cell division control or cdc genes)
What are CDC genes?
Cell division cycle genes, they code for which regulate cell cycle events.
What is MPF?
Mitosis-promoting factor, a heterodimer made of 1 molecule of cyclin B and 1 molecule of cdc2
What is cdc2?
Cell division cycle gene 2 which is a cyclic dependent kinase aka. cdk
What proteins are involved in regulating the G2/M transition in mammalian cells?
cdc2, cyclin B (a subunit associated with cdc2 kinase), cdc25C (a protein phosphatase), wee1 (a protein kinase which makes cells small), CAK (cdk-activating kinase).
How do cdc2 levels change throughout the cell cycle?
Remain at a constant high level throughout.
How do cyclin B levels change throughout the cell cycle?
Gradually increases after S phase and plummets in M phase.
How do MPF levels change throughout the cell cycle?
Shoots up after G2 before M phase and then plummets in M phase.
What are the sites of cdc2 phosphorylation?
One near the N-terminus which wee1 phosphorylates and one in the centre which CAK phosphorylates.
What do both cdc2 phosphorylation sites depend on?
Cyclin-bound cdc2.
How is cdc2 differentially phosphorylated during the cell cycle?
G2: cdc2 is in complex with cycB, wee1 and CAK, both sites are phosphorylated but the product is inactive. (Once phosphorylated wee1 and CAK leave).
M phase: cdc25 binds and removes the N-terminal phosphate replacing it with a tyrosine-15, this activates cdc2.
G1: cycB is released and the central phosphate removed and replaced with threonine-16, this inactivates cdc2.
How do CAK, wee1 and cdc25 levels change throughout differential phosphorylation?
CAK remains at a high levels.
wee1 is high throughout G1, S and G2 and plummets in at the end of G2 and shoots back up during M.
cdc25 is low throughout G1, S and G2 and then shoots up after G2 and falls during- opposite to wee1.
Why is cdc2 activated in this way?
Allows for rapid switching and is brought about by positive and negative feedback.