Chromatin meets the cell cycle.
The cell cycle is one of the most comprehensively studied biological processes, due primarily to its significance in growth and development, and its deregulation in many human disorders. Studies using a diverse set of model organisms, including yeast, worms, flies, frogs, mammals, and plants, have greatly expanded our knowledge of the cell cycle and have contributed to the universally accepted view of how the basic cell cycle machinery is regulated. In addition to the oscillating activity of various cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complexes, a plethora of proteins affecting various aspects of chromatin dynamics has been shown to be essential for cell proliferation during plant development. Furthermore, it was reported recently that core cell cycle regulators control gene expression by modifying histone patterns. This review focuses on the intimate relationship between the cell cycle and chromatin. It describes the dynamics and functions of chromatin structures throughout cell cycle progression and discusses the role of heterochromatin as a barrier against re-replication and endoreduplication. It also proposes that core plant cell cycle regulators control gene expression in a manner similar to that described in mammals. At present, our challenge in plants is to define the complete set of effectors and actors that coordinate cell cycle progression and chromatin structure and to understand better the functional interplay between these two processes.
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Cécile
C
Raynaud
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Allison C
AC
Mallory
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
David
D
Latrasse
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Teddy
T
Jégu
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Quentin
Q
Bruggeman
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Marianne
M
Delarue
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France.
Catherine
C
Bergounioux
Institut de Biologie des Plantes, UMR8618 Université Paris-Sud XI, 91405 Orsay, France moussa.benhamed@u-psud.fr.
Moussa
M
Benhamed
D002453:Cell Cycle; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002843:Chromatin / Q000502:physiology*; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism
D002843:Chromatin; D006657:Histones; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
Cell cycle; chromatin; epigenetic; gene expression; histone modification; replication.