Can eukaryotic cells monitor the presence of unreplicated DNA?
2007
Do Eukaryotic Cells Monitor Unreplicated DNA?
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Jordi Torres-Rosell, Giacomo De Piccoli, Luis Aragón
Primary Institution: Universitat de Lleida
Hypothesis
Do eukaryotic cells possess mechanisms that monitor ongoing DNA replication and ensure all chromosomes are fully replicated before entering mitosis?
Conclusion
The study suggests that normal yeast cells do not have a DNA replication-completion checkpoint.
Supporting Evidence
- Yeast cells can enter anaphase without completing replication in the ribosomal DNA array.
- Mutants proficient in known checkpoints still fail to monitor unreplicated segments.
- The Smc5–Smc6 complex is essential for DNA repair but not for the S phase checkpoint response.
Takeaway
This study found that yeast cells might not check if their DNA is fully copied before dividing, which could lead to problems.
Limitations
The study does not provide direct experimental data showing that a chromosome has not completed replication at the time of anaphase onset.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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