CDC44: a putative nucleotide-binding protein required for cell cycle progression that has homology to subunits of replication factor C.
To investigate the means by which a cell regulates the progression of the mitotic cell cycle, we characterized cdc44, a mutation that causes Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to arrest before mitosis. CDC44 encodes a 96-kDa basic protein with significant homology to a human protein that binds DNA (PO-GA) and to three subunits of human replication factor C (also called activator 1). The hypothesis that Cdc44p is involved in DNA metabolism is supported by the observations that (i) levels of mitotic recombination suggest elevated rates of DNA damage in cdc44 mutants and (ii) the cell cycle arrest observed in cdc44 mutants is alleviated by the DNA damage checkpoint mutations rad9, mec1, and mec2. The predicted amino acid sequence of Cdc44p contains GTPase consensus sites, and mutations in these regions cause a conditional cell cycle arrest. Taken together, these observations suggest that the essential CDC44 gene may encode the large subunit of yeast replication factor C.
Howell
E A
EA
Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
McAlear
M A
MA
Rose
D
D
Holm
C
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D006801:Humans; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051818:Replication Protein C; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
C096816:BCL2-related protein A1; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C096063:MATA1 protein, S cerevisiae; D015778:Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C084903:RFC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D051818:Replication Protein C