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. 1997 Sep;147(1):57–71. doi: 10.1093/genetics/147.1.57

The Cak1p Protein Kinase Is Required at G(1)/S and G(2)/M in the Budding Yeast Cell Cycle

A Sutton 1, R Freiman 1
PMCID: PMC1208122  PMID: 9286668

Abstract

The CAK1 gene encodes the major CDK-activating kinase (CAK) in budding yeast and is required for activation of Cdc28p for cell cycle progression from G(2) to M phase. Here we describe the isolation of a mutant allele of CAK1 in a synthetic lethal screen with the Sit4 protein phosphatase. Analysis of several different cak1 mutants shows that although the G(2) to M transition appears most sensitive to loss of Cak1p function, Cak1p is also required for activation of Cdc28p for progression from G(1) into S phase. Further characterization of these mutants suggests that, unlike the CAK identified from higher eukaryotes, Cak1p of budding yeast may not play a role in general transcription. Finally, although Cak1 protein levels and in vitro protein kinase activity do not fluctuate during the cell cycle, at least a fraction of Cak1p associates with higher molecular weight proteins, which may be important for its in vivo function.

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Selected References

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