Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Abstract

The yeasts Saccharornices cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been favored organisms for the study of the basic biology, genetics, and biochemistry of the mitotic cycle. Much of what we understand about eukaryotic cell division derives from studies in these organisms. Cyclin-dependent protein kinase (CDK) inhibitors (CKI), the focus of this volume, were first described in yeast, and yeast is still the best system for dissecting out the complex in vivo relationships between the CKI and other cell cycle components. This article summarizes the current state of the literature on four CKI — Pho85, Sicl, Farl, and Rum1 (Table 1) — with a particular emphasis on placing their activities in the perspective of larger cellular processes.