title: Cdc7p-Dbf4p regulates mitotic exit by inhibiting Polo kinase.
abstract: Cdc7p-Dbf4p is a conserved protein kinase required for the initiation of DNA replication. The Dbf4p regulatory subunit binds Cdc7p and is essential for Cdc7p kinase activation, however, the N-terminal third of Dbf4p is dispensable for its essential replication activities. Here, we define a short N-terminal Dbf4p region that targets Cdc7p-Dbf4p kinase to Cdc5p, the single Polo kinase in budding yeast that regulates mitotic progression and cytokinesis. Dbf4p mediates an interaction with the Polo substrate-binding domain to inhibit its essential role during mitosis. Although Dbf4p does not inhibit Polo kinase activity, it nonetheless inhibits Polo-mediated activation of the mitotic exit network (MEN), presumably by altering Polo substrate targeting. In addition, although dbf4 mutants defective for interaction with Polo transit S-phase normally, they aberrantly segregate chromosomes following nuclear misorientation. Therefore, Cdc7p-Dbf4p prevents inappropriate exit from mitosis by inhibiting Polo kinase and functions in the spindle position checkpoint.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Charles T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gabrielse
authors.forename: Ying-Chou
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinreich
mesh_terms: D002453:Cell Cycle; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D008938:Mitosis; D011485:Protein Binding; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C088096:Dbf4 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C489404:CDC7 protein, S cerevisiae; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C081927:CDC5 protein, S cerevisiae