Cdk1

• OMIM: 116940
• UniProt: P06493

Cyclin -dependent kinase 1 ( CDK1 ) is the enzyme in the cell nucleus of eukaryotic cells, which initiates phosphorylation of NuMA protein and RNA polymerase II, the S- phase, and thus the next mitotic cell division. Thus, it is a protein kinase. As part of a protein complex with cyclin B CDK1 is as a mitosis- promoting factor regulates itself by phosphorylation; so can being placed on the transition process of the S- phase are switched off again shortly. For the start-up of cell division possibly other kinases are necessary to release the NuMA protein.

The control of the cell cycle

Different cyclin - CDK complexes direct the beginning of various steps in a cell cycle. Cyclin - Cdk complexes start the cascade, but do not determine how. You do not instructing information and usually have no effect on the growth cycle of the cell (see phenotype of cdc mutants).

Simultaneously cyclin - Cdk complexes exert a positive and negative control function. S- Cdks trigger DNA replication while preventing the re- replication of DNA already doubled.

M- Cdks trigger the M- phase - start, but at the same time prevent the onset of cytokinesis.

Cdk 's are like the traffic lights at an intersection, green in one direction, at the same red in the other.

The discovery of the cdc2 gene

Cdc2 was for the first time in 1987 by Leland H. Hartwell, R. Timothy ( Tim ) Hunt and Paul M. Nurseden in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe found that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning " The control of the cell cycle " received in 2001.

Leland Hartwell of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA, discovered in the model organism baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a category of genes that code for proteins that control the cell cycle. Among them was a gene, cdc28, the protein plays a central role in the beginning of a new cell cycle and was therefore referred to by him as "Start". In addition, Hartwell introduced the concept of the control points ( " checkpoint "). At these points, the cell cycle is stopped in case something goes wrong in the cell cycle phase before.

Paul Nurse, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, identified with genetic and molecular biological methods, the protein, namely the cyclin -dependent kinases (CDK ). In addition, he was able to show that the defective CDK gene of the yeast can be replaced by the homologous / related human gene. This experiment demonstrated in an impressive way the relationship between human and yeast, one of the simplest eukaryotes.

Tim Hunt, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, discovered cyclins, those proteins that regulate the catalytic activity of the CDK. He showed that the cyclins are degraded in the context of cell division, a mechanism that has been shown to be central to the control of the cell cycle.

The cdc28 gene product of baker's yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae), as well as functionally homologous cdc2 gene in S. pombe are very similar to the human CDK ( CDC2Hs ) and the frog.

CDK complexes are the basis of the cell cycle control system.