Control over the Cell Cycle

How Cells Regulate Cell Division

 Cell Division
• Cell division
• prokaryotes- binary fission
• -one bacterium divides into two
• -one circular chromosome replicates
-two identical daughter cells form
• -can take as little as 15 minutes
• eukaryotes
• -DNA is replicated before cell division
• somatic cells- mitosis produces two identical daughter
cells
• germ cells- meiosis produces gametes (sperm and
eggs) which fuse to form a zygote
• -takes much longer
 How long does the cell cycle last?

Depends on the cell.

• Stem cells, embryonic cells- a few hours

Some cells divide very slowly; some not at all

Some cells divide when induced:

• -liver
• -lymphocytes
 Checkpoints
• G1 varies the most among cell types; is the first of several
checkpoints (G1 is the most critical checkpoint.)

• What determines whether a cell will grow?

• Single-celled organisms grow if enough nutrients are

present.

• Multicellular organisms must grow in a controlled way:

growth factors trigger growth (cell division).

• Mitogens stimulate cells to go into S phase.

 Proteins that control the cell cycle
(Cyclins and Cdks)

• Different kinds of cyclins; levels vary at

different stages of cycle.
• Cdks: cyclin-dependent kinases

• Cyclin and Cdk must be bound together to be

active.
MPF activates a
complex that
degrades cyclin
 Controls
• Cell growth is usually tightly regulated.

• Controls:
• -contact (density-dependent) inhibition- cells will grow to a
certain density and stop
• -cells have a finite number of cell divisions

• -“gatekeeper genes”:
• proto-oncogenes- stimulate growth
• -some make growth factors
• -some respond to growth factors
 Proto-oncogenes
• Types of proto-oncogenes:

• Growth factors
• Receptors (G protein and tyrosine kinase)
• Kinases
• Transcription factors
• Cdks

• Mutant forms, oncogenes that promote cancer,

have been identified in every category
 Genes, mutations…
• Tumor suppressors inhibit cell growth.

• Cancers occur when cells grow out of control:

-invade and damage tissues
-cells themselves may not function
properly

• How does this happen?

– Mutations accumulate in DNA.
 Mutations
• If mutations occur in control genes, they can’t
regulate cell growth.

• Some defects in particular genes are associated

with specific cancers.

• BRCA-1 tumor suppressor gene associated with

some inherited breast cancers.

• p53- tumor suppressor- associated with many

colon, bladder, breast, brain, lung cancers
(about half of all cancers!)