title: Signaling pathways that regulate cell division.
abstract: Cell division requires careful orchestration of three major events: entry into mitosis, chromosomal segregation, and cytokinesis. Signaling within and between the molecules that control these events allows for their coordination via checkpoints, a specific class of signaling pathways that ensure the dependency of cell-cycle events on the successful completion of preceding events. Multiple positive- and negative-feedback loops ensure that a cell is fully committed to division and that the events occur in the proper order. Unlike other signaling pathways, which integrate external inputs to decide whether to execute a given process, signaling at cell division is largely dedicated to completing a decision made in G1 phase-to initiate and complete a round of mitotic cell division. Instead of deciding if the events of cell division will take place, these signaling pathways entrain these events to the activation of the cell-cycle kinase cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and provide the opportunity for checkpoint proteins to arrest cell division if things go wrong.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA. nick.rhind@umassmed.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rhind
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004261:DNA Replication; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase