Stopping cellsfrom dividing

Abstract

Is there anything closer to the heart of preventing cancer than inhibiting cell division? The quest to identify means to stop cells from proliferating has driven generations of researchers to investigate the mechanisms regulating the cell division cycle. The cell cycle consists of several phases. Progression from one phase to the next depends on the activity of specific proteins. In order to pass the checkpoints between two phases, several classes of proteins are required. These regulators include transcription factors, kinases, phosphatases, and proteins acting through complex formation. The synthesis of these proteins - particularly transcriptional control of their genes - constitutes an important mode to regulate cell division