Myt1: a Wee1-type kinase that phosphorylates Cdc2 on residue Thr14

Abstract

Most somatic cell division cycles contain a gap period (G2 phase) between the completion of DNA synthesis and the initiation of mitosis. This delay of mitotic entry is controlled, at least in part, by the repression of Cdc2 kinase activity by the phosphorylation of two conserved residues (Thr14 and Tyr15) within the ATP-binding pocket of the Cdc2 catalytic subunit. The kinases responsible for these two phosphorylation events include the Myt1 and Wee1 kinases, which phosphorylate Cdc2 on Thr14 and Tyr15, respectively. In this discussion, we summarise our current knowledge of the Myt1 kinase and its regulation of Cdc2 kinase activity during the G2-to -M phase transition.