title: The regulation and functions of cdk7.
abstract: cdk7 started its life rather anonymously as a kinase called MO15, identified during a search for cDNA's which encode protein kinases related to cdc2. For several years its function remained obscure, but during the last 18 months MO15 has revealed itself as the catalytic subunit of cdk activating kinase, associating with at least two other subunits including a new cyclin, cyclin H. MO15(cdk7) has therefore been established paradoxically as both a new member and a regulator of the cyclin dependent kinase family. New evidence now suggests that cdk7 is also involved in the processes of transcription initiation and DNA repair, associating with the general transcription factor TFIIH. The engima of cdk7 is likely to remain for a while yet, and perhaps even more surprises are in store.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shuttleworth
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae; D014714:Vertebrates; D014981:Xenopus; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase
chemical_list: D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase