cyclin E Background Information
Drosophila melanogaster is a proven and effective model for studying developmental and cellular processes common to higher eukaryotes. Approximately 13,600 genes have been elucidated from more than 120 megabases of euchromatin, and they are organized among the chromosomes 2, 3, 4, X and Y, with the Y chromosome being predominately heterochromatic (1). Drosophila genes can be categorized based on the type of protein for which they encode and are represented by six major classifications, which include intracellular signaling proteins, transmembrane proteins, RNA binding proteins, secreted factors, transcription regulators (basic helix-loop-helix, homeodomain containing, zinc finger containing, and chromatin associated) or other functional proteins (2). Cyclins are a diverse family of proteins whose defining feature is that they bind and activate cyclin dependent kinase (Cdk) family members and influence cell-cycle control (3,4). Cyclin E in Drosophila binds the cyclin dependent kinase cdc2c that is required for the transcription of E2F dependent genes (5).
