Living with or without cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases

Entry into, progression through, and exit from the G1 phase of the mammalian cell cycle in response to extracellular mitogenic cues are presumed to be governed by cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) regulated by the D-type and E-type cyclins. Studies performed over more than a decade have supported the view that these holoenzymes are important, if not required, for these processes. However, recent experiments in which the genes encoding all three D-type cyclins, the two E-type cyclins, cyclin D-dependent Cdk4 and Cdk6, or cyclin E-dependent Cdk2 have been disrupted in the mouse germ line have revealed that much of fetal development occurs normally in their absence. Thus, none of these genes is strictly essential…

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  Howard Hughes Medical Institute