Week 8 (Cell Cycle) Flashcards
What are the stages in a typical cell cycle?
G1 (Gap1- Growth)
S (DNA synthesis)
G2 (Gap2- Growth)
M (Mitosis)
Variations in Cell Cycles: Neurons Exit
Post-mitotic neurons exit into G0
and usually stop cycling.
Neurons stop cycling*
Variations in Cell Cycles: Stem Cells Are Quiescent
LT-HSC: Long Term Hematopoietic Stem Cell, IT: Intermediate, ST: short term
Quiescent —-> ‘quiet’
Not dividing
Stem cells can go into G0 and come out of it (a state of dormancy)
Variations in Cell Cycles: Senescent Cells Stop Dividing and Permanently Exit the Cell Cycle
Senescent cells stop dividing
How is proliferation measured directly?
To determine if cells in a tissue are proliferating:
measure the incorporation of 3H-Thymidine or bromodeoxyuracil (BrdU) into the DNA. after which the tissue can be fixed and prepared for labeling with fluorescent anti-BrdU antibodies
Application Note: Only cells currently in S phase
will be labeled by BrdU.*
Applying Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) Analysis to the Cell Cycle
1) Cells are stained with a dye that becomes
fluorescent when it binds to DNA.
2) The amount of fluorescence is directly proportional
to the amount of DNA.
3) The FACS measures the level of fluorescence of
individual cells.
4) The relative amount of fluorescence (DNA content)
can be plotted on the X-axis against the number
of cells on the Y-axis. A high peak means that lots of cells
are in that cell cycle phase.
Can the cell cycle be altered?
Under different conditions, cells cycle
at different rates and spend more or less
time in G1, S, & G2 .
What is a checkpoint?
A checkpoint is a mechanism that tells the
cell whether or not it is safe to proceed to
the next stage of the cell cycle.
Checkpoints send negative signals to the cell cycle controller to inhibit the progression of the cell cycle.
Factors affecting Checkpoint Sensitivity
- Cell size
- Growth Factors
- DNA damage
- Incomplete DNA
- Replication
- Centrosome Integrity (centrioles)
- Spindle Alignment
What is The Cell Cycle Controller is Composed of?
Protein Kinases and Ubiquitin Ligases
What do checkpoints inhibit?
Checkpoints inhibit both protein kinases and ubiquitin ligases.
What is a kinase?
An enzyme that attaches phosphate
groups to its substrate
What is an enzyme?
a substance (usually protein) that
increases the rate of a chemical reaction
without itself being changed in the process.
At the end of the reaction, the enzyme is
in the same state as before.
What is a substrate
the substance that is transformed
by the enzyme.
What is a protein kinase?
A protein kinase is an enzyme that substitutes phosphate groups for the hydroxyl groups on amino acids in proteins
Protein kinase: What is a serine/threonine kinase?
A serine/threonine kinase substitutes a phosphate group for the hydroxyl group on serine or threonine
Protein kinase: What is a tyrosine kinase?
substitutes a phosphate group for the hydroxyl group on tyrosine
Why Phosphorylate?
The large phosphate group introduces two negative charges that can change the structure and activity
of proteins.
Is phosphorylation reversible?
The phosphorylation is reversible (phosphate added with a kinases and removed with a phosphatase) so the
structural change is reversible–ideal for
regulating function
Is the degradation of proteins essential to the
cell cycle?
Yes
What is the degradation of cell cycle proteins is
mediated by?
ubiquitin ligases.
What are ubiquitin ligases?
Specific target proteins including cyclins are
marked for destruction by the covalent attachment of chains of ubiquitin by enzymes called ubiquitin ligases.
What is ubiquitin?
Ubiquitin is a 70 amino acid protein that acts
as a flag to target the ubiquitinylated protein to the
proteasome.
What is the proteasome?
The proteasome is a multi-subunit complex
of about 20 subunits that forms a hollow
cylinder. Proteasomes unfold proteins and
digest them into short peptides.
How long is a typical cell cycle?
24 hours
Do frog cell cycles have growth phases?
No (they are already large)
Can FACS distinguish between G2 and Mphase?
No because both have 4n in terms of DNA content per cell
What is a checkpoint for G1?
- Damaged DNA
- Unfavourable extracellular environment
Why do you never go backwards in the cell cycle?
Ubiquitin ligases degrade proteins thus not allowing you to go backwards
What is a checkpoint for S phase?
Damaged or incompletely replicated DNA