Accurate transmission of genetic information in cells is ensured by DNA repair, delays in replication until repairs are complete, and by cell death. Work in yeast and subsequently in mammalian cells has shown that monitoring the cell cycle generates signals which halt it at specific "checkpoints". Failures in these processes can release uncontolled cell division. This volume examines the mechanisms of checkpoint control, the cellular activities they influence, and their importance in understanding the fundamentals of the neoplastic process.
目次
Control of the G1/S transition
S phase damage sensing checkpoints in mammalian cells
cyclins and the G2/M transition
the DNA replication licensing system
cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors
yeast checkpoint controls and relevance to cancer
the anaphase promoting complex
mammalian G1 and G2 phase checkpoints
maintaining genetic stability through TP53 mediated checkpoint control
functions of the DNA dependent protein kinase
telomerase, checkpoints and cancer
the ATM gene and protein - possible roles in genome surveillance, checkpoint controls and cellular defence against oxidative stress
apoptosis and cancer mechanisms
genetic instability in animal tumourigenesis models.