title: Drosophila cdc2 homologs: a functional homolog is coexpressed with a cognate variant.
abstract: Using probes obtained by PCR amplification, we have cloned Drosophila cDNAs encoding structural homologs of the p34cdc2 cell cycle kinase. Southern blot experiments and in situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes demonstrated that the isolated cDNAs, were derived from two distinct genes, Dm cdc2 (31E) and Dm cdc2c (92F). Northern blot and in situ hybridization experiments revealed that these two genes are coexpressed during embryogenesis and that expression is correlated with cell proliferation. However, despite the similarity in structure and expression, the two gene products differed in functional assays in yeasts. Expression of Dm cdc2 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae rescued cell cycle arrest caused by mutations in cdc2+ and CDC28, the genes encoding the p34cdc2 kinase homologs of these yeasts. In contrast, the Dm cdc2c gene product did not restore cell cycle progression. Thus, in addition to the identification of a functional homolog in Drosophila, our results indicate the presence of a closely related cognate of the p34cdc2 cell cycle kinase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lehner
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: O'Farrell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005796:Genes; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D004247:DNA; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase