Selective inhibition of proteins regulating CDK/cyclin complexes: strategy against cancer—a review

Cancer prevention is a global priority, but history indicates that the journey towards achieving the goal is difficult. Various cyclin dependent kinase complexes (CDKs/cyclins) operate as major cell signaling components in all stages of cell cycle. CDK/cyclin protein complexes, regulating the cell cycle, are conserved during evolution. In cancer cells, cell division is uncontrolled and CDKs/cyclins become ‘check-points’ or targets. Keeping this in view the proteins cyclin C, cyclin D2, CDKN1C, and Growth Arrest and DNA Damage (GADD45α) which play a major role in regulating CDK/cyclin complexes and operate in the initial stages of cell cycle (G₀ phase–S phase), have been identified as promising targets. Targeting critical regulators of cell-cycle signaling components by applying modern computational techniques is projected to be a potential tool for future cancer research.     

Cyclin dependent kinases and their role in regulation of plant cell cycle

Plants have capability to optimize its architecture by using CDK pathways. It involves diverse types of cyclin dependent kinase enzymes (CDKs). CDKs are classified in to eight classes (CDKA to CDKG and CKL) based on the recognized cyclin-binding domains. These enzymes require specific cyclin proteins to get activated. They form complex with cyclin subunits and phosphorylate key target proteins. Phosphorylation of these target proteins is essential to drive cell cycle further from one phase to another phase. During cell division, the activity of cyclin dependent kinase is controlled by CDK interactor/inhibitor of CDKs (ICK) and Kip-related proteins (KRPs). They bind with specific CDK/cyclin complex and help in controlling CDKs activity. Since cell cycle can be progressed further only by synthesis and destruction of cyclins, they are quickly degraded using ubiquitination-proteasome pathway. Ubiquitylation reaction is followed by DNA duplication and cell division process. These two processes are regulated by two complexes known as Skp1/cullin/F-box (SCF)-related complex and the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). SCF allows cell to enter from G1 to S phase and APC/C allows cell to enter from G2 to M phase. When all these above processes of cell division are going on, genes of cyclin dependent kinases gets activated one by one simultaneously and help in regulation of CDK pathways. How cell cycle is regulated by CDKs is discussed.     

Novel INK4 proteins, p19 and p18, are specific inhibitors of the cyclin D-dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6.

Cyclin D-dependent kinases act as mitogen-responsive, rate-limiting controllers of G1 phase progression in mammalian cells. Two novel members of the mouse INK4 gene family, p19 and p18, that specifically inhibit the kinase activities of CDK4 and CDK6, but do not affect those of cyclin E-CDK2, cyclin A-CDK2, or cyclin B-CDC2, were isolated. Like the previously described human INK4 polypeptides, p16INK4a/MTS1 and p15INK4b/MTS2, mouse p19 and p18 are primarily composed of tandemly repeated ankyrin motifs, each ca. 32 amino acids in length, p19 and p18 bind directly to CDK4 and CDK6, whether untethered or in complexes with D cyclins, and can inhibit the activity of cyclin D-bound cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Although neither protein interacts with D cyclins or displaces them from preassembled cyclin D-CDK complexes in vitro, both form complexes with CDKs at the expense of cyclins in vivo, suggesting that they may also interfere with cyclin-CDK assembly. In proliferating macrophages, p19 mRNA and protein are periodically expressed with a nadir in G1 phase and maximal synthesis during S phase, consistent with the possibility that INK4 proteins limit the activities of CDKs once cells exit G1 phase. However, introduction of a vector encoding p19 into mouse NIH 3T3 cells leads to constitutive p19 synthesis, inhibits cyclin D1-CDK4 activity in vivo, and induces G1 phase arrest.     

Isolation and characterization of p19INK4d, a p16-related inhibitor specific to CDK6 and CDK4.

Cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 are complexed with many small cellular proteins in vivo. We have isolated cDNA sequences, INK4d, encoding a 19-kDa protein that is associated with CDK6 in several hematopoietic cell lines. p19 shares equal similarity and a common ancestor with other identified inhibitors of the p16/INK4 family. p19 interacts with and inhibits the activity of both CDK4 and CDK6 and exhibits no detectable interaction with the other known CDKs. p19 protein is present in both cell nuclei and cytoplasm. The p19 gene has been mapped to chromosome 19p13.2, and the level of its mRNA expression varies widely between different tissues. In contrast to p21 and p27 whose interaction with CDK subunits is dependent on or stimulated by the cyclin subunit, the interaction of p19 and p18 with CDK6 is hindered by the cyclin protein. Binary cyclin D1-p18/p19 or cyclin D1-CDK6 complexes are highly stable and cannot be dissociated by excess amounts of cyclin D1 or p19/p18 proteins, suggesting that p16 inhibitors and D cyclins may interact with CDKs 4 and 6 in a competing or potentially mutually exclusive manner.     

Cyclin-dependent protein kinases: Key regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle

Passage through the cell cycle requires the successive activation of different cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs). These enzymes are controlled by transient associations with cyclin regulatory subunits, binding of inhibitory polypeptides and reversible phosphorylation reactions. To promote progression towards DNA replication, CDK/cyclin complexes phosphorylate proteins required for the activation of genes involved in DNA synthesis, as well as components of the DNA replication machinery. Subsequently, a different set of CDK/cyclin complexes triggers the phosphorylation of numerous proteins to promote the profound structural reorganizations that accompany the entry of cells into mitosis. At present, much research is focused on elucidating the links between CDK/cyclin complexes and signal transduction pathways controlling cell growth, differentiation and death. In future, a better understanding of the cell cycle machinery and its deregulation during oncogenesis may provide novel opportunities for the diagnostic and therapeutic management of cancer and other proliferation-related diseases.     

Identification and characterization of the CDK12/cyclin L1 complex involved in alternative splicing regulation

CrkRS is a Cdc2-related protein kinase that contains an arginine- and serine-rich (SR) domain, a characteristic of the SR protein family of splicing factors, and is proposed to be involved in RNA processing. However, whether it acts together with a cyclin and at which steps it may function to regulate RNA processing are not clear. Here, we report that CrkRS interacts with cyclin L1 and cyclin L2, and thus rename it as the long form of cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12(L)). A shorter isoform of CDK12, CDK12(S), that differs from CDK12(L) only at the carboxyl end, was also identified. Both isoforms associate with cyclin L1 through interactions mediated by the kinase domain and the cyclin domain, suggesting a bona fide CDK/cyclin partnership. Furthermore, CDK12 isoforms alter the splicing pattern of an E1a minigene, and the effect is potentiated by the cyclin domain of cyclin L1. When expression of CDK12 isoforms is perturbed by small interfering RNAs, a reversal of the splicing choices is observed. The activity of CDK12 on splicing is counteracted by SF2/ASF and SC35, but not by SRp40, SRp55, and SRp75. Together, our findings indicate that CDK12 and cyclin L1/L2 are cyclin-dependent kinase and cyclin partners and regulate alternative splicing.     

Cyclin T: three forms for different roles in physiological and pathological functions

Cyclins are members of family of proteins involved in the cell cycle regulation. They are regulatory subunits of complexes with proteins called cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). There are three forms of cyclin T: cyclin T1, cyclin T2a, and T2b. All cyclin T contain an N-terminal "cyclin homology box," the most conserved region among different members of the cyclin family that serves to bind CDK9. In addition to the N-terminal cyclin domain, cyclin T contains a putative coiled-coil motif, a His-rich motif, and a C-terminal PEST sequence. The CDK9/cyclin T complex is able to activate gene expression in a catalytic-dependent manner, phosphorylating the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. In addition, only cyclin T1 supports interactions between Tat and TAR. The interaction of Tat with cyclin T1 alters the conformation of Tat to enhance the affinity and specificity of the Tat:TAR interaction. On the other hand, CDK9/cyclin T2 complexes are involved in the regulation of terminal differentiation in muscle cells.