Nuclear localization of vertebrate cyclin A correlates with its ability to form complexes with cdk catalytic subunits

Changes in the subcellular localization of replication initiation proteins and cell cycle proteins during G1- to S-phase transition in mammalian cells

DNA replication in eukaryotic cells is restricted to the S-phase of the cell cycle. In a cell-free replication model system, using SV40 origin-containing DNA, extracts from G1 cells are inefficient in supporting DNA replication. We have undertaken a detailed analysis of the subcellular localization of replication proteins and cell cycle regulators to determine when these proteins are present in the nucleus and therefore available for DNA replication. Cyclin A and cdk2 have been implicated in regulating DNA replication, and may be responsible for activating components of the DNA replication initiation complex on entry into S-phase. G1 cell extracts used for in vitro replication contain the replication proteins RPA (the eukaryotic single-stranded DNA binding protein) and DNA polymerase alpha as well as cdk2, but lack cyclin A. On localizing these components in G1 cells we find that both RPA and DNA polymerase alpha are present as nuclear proteins, while cdk2 is primarily cytoplasmic and there is no detectable cyclin A. An apparent change in the distribution of these proteins occurs as the cell enters S-phase. Cyclin A becomes abundant and both cyclin A and cdk2 become localized to the nucleus in S-phase. In contrast, the RPA-34 and RPA-70 subunits of RPA, which are already nuclear, undergo a transition from the uniform nuclear distribution observed during G1, and now display a distinct punctate nuclear pattern. The initiation of DNA replication therefore most likely occurs by modification and activation of these replication initiation proteins rather than by their recruitment to the nuclear compartment.

Spatiotemporal distribution of protein kinase and phosphatase activities

Reversible protein phosphorylation plays an essential role in controlling cellular functions. Accumulating evidence indicates that the subcellular distribution of protein kinase and phosphatase activities is organized dynamically. The spatiotemporal dynamics of kinase and phosphatase activities appears to account for the elaborate coordination of the cellular functions achieved by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation.

Nuclear pore complex ion channels (review)

It is currently thought that nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) primarily govern nucleocytoplasmic interactions via selective recognition and active transport of macromolecules. However, in various nuclear preparations, patch-clamp and fluorescence, luminiscence and ion microscopy support classical microelectrode measurements indicating that monoatomic ion flow across the nuclear envelope (NE) is strictly regulated. Gating of large conductance nuclear envelope ion channels (NICs) somewhat resembles that of gap junctional channels. In other respects, NICs are distinct in that they require cytosolic factors, are blocked by wheat germ agglutinin and are blocked and/or modified by antibodies to epitopes of NPC glycoproteins. Therefore, NIC activity, recorded as electrical current/conductance is likely to be intrinsic to NPCs. This observation suggests a potential use for the patch-clamp technique in establishing the mechanisms underlying nuclear pore gating in response to cytosolic and nucleosolic factors such as transcription and growth factors, oncogene and proto-oncogene products and receptors for retinoids, steroids and thyroid hormone. NIC activity may also be useful in evaluating the mechanisms of nuclear import of foreign nucleic acid material such as that contained in virons and viroids. Finally, in consideration to the electrophysiological data accumulated so far, the study of nuclear pore ion channel activity may help our understanding of other important issues such as cell suicide, programmed cell death or apoptosis.

Cell cycle analysis and chromosomal localization of human Plk1, a putative homologue of the mitotic kinases Drosophila polo and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc5

polo and CDC5 are two genes required for passage through mitosis in Drosophila melanogaster and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively. Both genes encode structurally related protein kinases that have been implicated in regulating the function of the mitotic spindle. Here, we report the characterization of a human protein kinase that displays extensive sequence similarity to Drosophila polo and S. cerevisiae Cdc5; we refer to this kinase as Plk1 (for polo-like kinase 1). The largest open reading frame of the Plk1 cDNA encodes a protein of 68,254 daltons, and a protein of this size is detected by immunoblotting of HeLa cell extracts with monoclonal antibodies raised against the C-terminal part of Plk1 expressed in Escherichia coli. Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from human cells and mouse tissues shows that a single Plk1 mRNA of 2.3 kb is highly expressed in tissues with a high mitotic index, consistent with a possible function of Plk1 in cell proliferation. The Plk1 gene maps to position p12 on chromosome 16, a locus for which no associations with neoplastic malignancies are known. The Plk1 protein levels and its distribution change during the cell cycle, in a manner consistent with a role of Plk1 in mitosis. Thus, like Drosophila polo and S. cerevisiae Cdc5, human Plk1 is likely to function in cell cycle progression.