Roles of CDK and DDK in Genome Duplication and Maintenance: Meiotic Singularities

Abstract

Cells reproduce using two types of divisions: mitosis, which generates two daughter cells each with the same genomic content as the mother cell, and meiosis, which reduces the number of chromosomes of the parent cell by half and gives rise to four gametes. The mechanisms that promote the proper progression of the mitotic and meiotic cycles are highly conserved and controlled. They require the activities of two types of serine-threonine kinases, the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and the Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK). CDK and DDK are essential for genome duplication and maintenance in both mitotic and meiotic divisions. In this review, we aim to highlight how these kinases cooperate to orchestrate diverse processes during cellular reproduction, focusing on meiosis-specific adaptions of their regulation and functions in DNA metabolism.

Keywords: Dbf4-dependent kinase; cyclin-dependent kinase; genome duplication; meiosis; meiotic recombination; mitosis; quantitative model.

Figure 1

Schematic representation of mitotic and meiotic cycles. Relative changes in cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) and Dbf4-dependent kinase (DDK) activity are illustrated by the intensity of the gradient (yellow-red), with more intense red denoting higher levels. For ease of visualization, the higher activities required in meiosis vs. mitosis are not depicted. The lengths of the cell cycle phases are not shown to scale. HR: homologous recombination. Meiosis-specific events are highlighted in red boxes, and processes that are not discussed in this review are indicated by dotted lines.