title: The biochemistry of mitosis.
abstract: In this article, we will discuss the biochemistry of mitosis in eukaryotic cells. We will focus on conserved principles that, importantly, are adapted to the biology of the organism. It is vital to bear in mind that the structural requirements for division in a rapidly dividing syncytial Drosophila embryo, for example, are markedly different from those in a unicellular yeast cell. Nevertheless, division in both systems is driven by conserved modules of antagonistic protein kinases and phosphatases, underpinned by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, which create molecular switches to drive each stage of division forward. These conserved control modules combine with the self-organizing properties of the subcellular architecture to meet the specific needs of the cell. Our discussion will draw on discoveries in several model systems that have been important in the long history of research on mitosis, and we will try to point out those principles that appear to apply to all cells, compared with those in which the biochemistry has been specifically adapted in a particular organism.
authors: The Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, United Kingdom.
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Wieser
authors: The Gurdon Institute, Cambridge CB2 1QN, United Kingdom.
authors: Jonathon
authors: J
authors: Pines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001669:Biochemical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology*; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D015003:Yeasts
chemical_list: D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases