Physiological roles of calcineurin in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with special emphasis on its roles in G2/M cell-cycle regulation

• Published in: Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry Vol. 71; no. 3; pp. 633 - 645
• Main Authors: Miyakawa, T.(Hiroshima Univ. (Japan)), Mizunuma, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry 01.03.2007; Japan Society for Bioscience Biotechnology and Agrochemistry; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; calcineurin; Calcineurin - physiology; CALCIO; CALCIUM; CATION; CATIONES; CATIONS; CDC28 Protein Kinase, S cerevisiae - metabolism; CELL CYCLE; Cell Cycle - physiology; Cell Cycle Proteins - metabolism; CICLO CELULAR; CYCLE CELLULAIRE; drug screening; ESTERASAS; ESTERASE; ESTERASES; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; M transition; MAMIFEROS; MAMMALS; MAMMIFERE; MAP Kinase Signaling System - physiology; MEDICINAL PROPERTIES; PROPIEDADES MEDICINALES; PROPRIETE PHARMACOLOGIQUE; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - metabolism; SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - physiology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins - metabolism; Drug; Yeast; Calcium; drug screening; calcineurin; Fungi; Screening; Regulation(control); Ca2; G2/M transition; Cell cycle; Ascomycetes; Physiology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0916-8451; 1347-6947
• DOI: 10.1271/bbb.60495

Calcineurin, a highly conserved Casup(2+)/CaM-dependent protein phosphatase, plays key regulatory roles in diverse biological processes from yeast to humans. Genetic and molecular analyses of the yeast model system have proved successful in dissecting complex regulatory pathways mediated by calcineurin. Saccharomyces cerevisiae calcineurin is not essential for growth under laboratory conditions, but becomes essential for survival under certain stress conditions, and is required for stress-induced expression of the genes for ion transporters and cell-wall synthesis. Yeast calcineurin, in collaboration with a Mpk1 MAP kinase cascade, is also important in Gsub(2) cell-cycle regulation due to its action in a checkpoint-like mechanism. Genetic and molecular analysis of the Casup(2+)-dependent cell-cycle regulation has revealed an elaborate mechanism for the calcineurin-dependent regulation of the Gsub(2)/M transition, in which calcineurin multilaterally activates Swe1, a negative regulator of the Cdc28/Clb complex, at the transcriptional, posttranslational, and degradation levels.