Mechanisms that prevent DNA re-replication in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Every time a cell divides it must faithfully duplicate its genome before the cell divides. If replication initiates a second time (re-replication) before cytokinesis, cells can accumulate extensive DNA damage, which results in genomic instability, a hallmark of tumorigenesis. To prevent re-replication eukaryotic cells must inhibit the re-initiation of replication start sites, or origins, across the genome. Examples of both Cyclin-Dependent Kinase (CDK)-dependent and CDK-independent mechanisms have been identified that regulate the components of the pre-Replicative Complex (pre-RC) to prevent re-replication. The pre-RC is a multi-protein complex that assembles at origins during G1, before DNA replication begins. After an origin initiates pre-RC components must be prevented from reassembling at origins until the next cell cycle. When the mechanisms preventing re-replication in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are disrupted, unregulated replication occurs. Not all origins are capable of re-initiating during this re-replication. Rather, a subset of all potential origin sequences reform pre-RCs, and of those, only a portion re-initiates. The origins that re-initiate do not correlate with any other known subclass of origins (e.g. - early/late initiating origins).

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Biology.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Tanny, Robyn E

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stephen P. Bell.

• Biology.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37259

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37259