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Inefficient repair of DNA damaged by ionizing radiation or chemical agents in these mutants revealed proteins essential in this pathway. Early signaling proteins in the checkpoint pathway are members of a family of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases, rad3 in yeast and ATR in vertebrates, that are believed to localize to sites of DNA damage. [7]
DNA damage induces the activation of Chk1 which facilitates the initiation of the DNA damage response (DDR) and cell cycle checkpoints. The DNA damage response is a network of signaling pathways that leads to activation of checkpoints, DNA repair and apoptosis to inhibit damaged cells from progressing through the cell cycle.
Similar to S Phase, G2 experiences a DNA damage checkpoint. The cell is once more examined for sites of DNA damage or incomplete replication, and the kinases ATR and ATM are recruited to damage sites. Activation of Chk1 and Chk2 also transpire, as well as p53 activation, to induce cell cycle arrest and halt progression into mitosis.
These proteins seem to be required for transmitting the checkpoint activation signal to downstream proteins. DNA damage checkpoint is a signal transduction pathway that blocks cell cycle progression in G1, G2 and metaphase and slows down the rate of S phase progression when DNA is damaged. It leads to a pause in cell cycle allowing the cell ...
CHEK2 (Checkpoint kinase 2) is a tumor suppressor gene that encodes the protein CHK2, a serine-threonine kinase. CHK2 is involved in DNA repair, cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Mutations to the CHEK2 gene have been linked to a wide range of cancers. [5]
ATR is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase that is involved in sensing DNA damage and activating the DNA damage checkpoint, leading to cell cycle arrest in eukaryotes. [8] ATR is activated in response to persistent single-stranded DNA, which is a common intermediate formed during DNA damage detection and repair.
Of the four DNA damage checkpoints, two have an additional process for monitoring DNA damage other than activating p53. Before entry into S phase and during S phase, ATM/R also activates Chk1/2 that inhibits Cdc25A, a protein responsible for activating cyclin-Cdk dimers. Without cyclin dimer activation, the cell cannot transition through the cycle.
In addition to the back up inhibition of the cyclin B-Cdk1 complex, premature cellular division is prevented by the translocation of the cyclin B itself. The cyclin B-Cdk1 complex will remain in the cytoplasm in cells with DNA damage, rather than translocate to the nucleus, keeping the cell inhibiting the cell from entering mitosis.