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How unfinished business from S‐phase affects mitosis and beyond
Author(s) -
Mankouri Hocine W,
Huttner Diana,
Hickson Ian D
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1038/emboj.2013.211
Subject(s) - biology , mitosis , phase (matter) , genetics , organic chemistry , chemistry
The eukaryotic cell cycle is conventionally viewed as comprising several discrete steps, each of which must be completed before the next one is initiated. However, emerging evidence suggests that incompletely replicated, or unresolved, chromosomes from S‐phase can persist into mitosis, where they present a potential threat to the faithful segregation of sister chromatids. In this review, we provide an overview of the different classes of loci where this ‘unfinished S‐phase business’ can lead to a variety of cytogenetically distinct DNA structures throughout the various steps of mitosis. Furthermore, we discuss the potential ways in which cells might not only tolerate this inevitable aspect of chromosome biology, but also exploit it to assist in the maintenance of genome stability.