Cyclins and Cdks in Cell Cycle Control

Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases help control how cells move through the cell cycle. These positive regulator molecules keep mitotic cell division on schedule so daughter cells can match the parent cell. When this control fails, errors in DNA replication or in the distribution of genetic material can create mutant cells ...

The positive regulator molecules promote the transition through various stages of the cell cycle via the interaction of two protein groups: cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases or Cdks.

Mammalian cells contain around nine Cdks, with four of them, Cdk1, Cdk6, Cdk4, and Cdk2, involved in the cell cycle.

The activity and specificity o...