title: CDC7 kinase complex as a molecular switch for DNA replication.
abstract: Cdc7 kinase and its activator Dbf4 protein, originally identified in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are widely conserved in eukaryotes including fission yeast and human. Dbf4-related activators bind and stimulate kinase activity of Cdc7-like catalytic subunit. Its kinase activity is cell cycle-regulated, mainly through availability of the activation subunit whose level increases at G1/S boundary and is maintained at a high level throughout S phase. MCM2 protein is among physiologically important substrates. Genetic studies in fission yeast indicate that Cdc7-related kinase complex also functions in meiosis, uninduced mutagenesis, DNA replication checkpoint signaling and maintenance of chromatin structures during S phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan and CREST, Japan Science Technology. hisao@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masai
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004261:DNA Replication; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C088096:Dbf4 protein, S cerevisiae; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C489404:CDC7 protein, S cerevisiae; C068619:CDC7 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases