We recently proposed a detailed model describing the dynamics of the network of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) driving the mammalian cell cycle (Gérard and Goldbeter, 2009). The model contains four modules, each centered around one cyclin/Cdk complex. Cyclin D/Cdk4-6 and cyclin E/Cdk2 promote progression in G1 and elicit the G1/S transition, respectively; cyclin A/Cdk2 ensures progression in S...

It has been shown that glucocorticoids accelerate lung development by limiting alveolar formation resulting from a premature maturation of the alveolar septa. Based on these data, the aim of the present work was to analyze the influence of dexamethasone on cell cycle control mechanisms during postnatal lung development. Cell proliferation is regulated by a network of signaling pathways that con...

We previously proposed an integrated computational model for the network of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) that controls the dynamics of the mammalian cell cycle [C. Gérard and A. Goldbeter, "Temporal self-organization of the cyclin/Cdk network driving the mammalian cell cycle," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 21643 (2009)]. The model contains four Cdk modules regulated by reversible phosph...

BACKGROUND The normal progression of the cell cycle requires sequential expression of cyclins. Rapid induction of cyclin D1 and its associated binding with cyclin-dependent kinases, in the presence or absence of mitogenic signals, often is considered a rate-limiting step during cell cycle progression through the G(1) phase. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the present study, human umbilical ...

Cyclin dependent protein kinases (CDKs) play vital role in gene expression and cell cycle regulation. CDKs require cyclin binding activity, phosphorylation through CDK activating kinase (CAK), Cdc25, Wee 1 kinase. Non-cyclin CDK activators include CDK5 activators, Viral Cyclins and RINGO/Speedy. Among all CDK activators, CAK carries prime importance. The time frame of activating phosphorylation...

Cell proliferation and differentiation are regulated in a highly coordinated and inverse manner during development and tissue homeostasis. Terminal differentiation usually coincides with cell cycle exit and is thought to engage stable transcriptional repression of cell cycle genes. Here, we examine the robustness of the post-mitotic state, using Caenorhabditis elegans muscle cells as a model. W...

PURPOSE To determine whether the incidence of and susceptibility to climatic droplet keratopathy (CDK), an acquired, often bilateral degenerative corneal disease, is influenced by the genetic background of the individuals who exhibit the disorder. METHODS To determine whether the disease expression was influenced by the genetic ancestry of CDK cases in native Mapuche of the northwest area of ...

Proper execution of mitosis requires the phosphorylation of hundreds of functional proteins by multiple protein kinases. Activation and inactivation of these kinases needs to be coordinated so that the correct order and timing of mitotic events allows faithful chromosome inheritance. The intrinsic oscillation of one of these kinases, the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK), has been shown to be compo...