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General Comment |
NCBI Summary:
The protein encoded by this gene is one of the highly conserved mini-chromosome maintenance proteins (MCM) that are essential for the initiation of eukaryotic genome replication. The hexameric protein complex formed by the MCM proteins is a key component of the pre-replication complex (pre_RC) and may be involved in the formation of replication forks and in the recruitment of other DNA replication related proteins. The MCM complex consisting of this protein and MCM2, 4 and 6 proteins possesses DNA helicase activity, and may act as a DNA unwinding enzyme. Cyclin D1-dependent kinase, CDK4, is found to associate with this protein, and may regulate the binding of this protein with the tumorsuppressor protein RB1/RB. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been reported. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
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Comment |
Unique Pattern of ORC2 and MCM7 Localization During DNA Replication Licensing in the Mouse Zygote. Ortega MA et al. In eukaryotes, DNA synthesis is preceded by licensing of replication origins. We examined the subcellular localization of two licensing proteins, ORC2 and MCM7, in the mouse zygotes and 2-cell embryos. In somatic cells ORC2 remains bound to DNA replication origins throughout the cell cycle, while MCM7 is one of the last proteins to bind to the licensing complex. We found that MCM7, but not ORC2 was bound to DNA in metaphase II oocytes, and remained associated with the DNA until S-phase. Shortly after fertilization, ORC2 was detectable at the metaphase II spindle poles, and then between the separating chromosomes. Neither protein was present in the sperm cell at fertilization. As the sperm head decondensed, MCM7 was bound to DNA, but no ORC2 was seen. By four hours after fertilization, both pronuclei contained DNA bound ORC2 and MCM7. As expected, during S-phase of the first zygotic cell-cycle, MCM7 was released from the DNA but ORC2 remained bound. During zygotic mitosis, ORC2 again localized first to the spindle poles, then to the area between the separating chromosomes. ORC2 then formed a ring around the developing 2-cell nuclei before entering the nucleus. Only soluble MCM7 was present in the G2 pronuclei, but by zygotic metaphase it was bound to DNA, again apparently before ORC2. In G1 of the 2-cell stage, both nuclei had salt-resistant ORC2 and MCM7. These data suggest that licensing follows a unique pattern in the early zygote that differs from what has been described for other mammalian cells that have been studied.
Accumulation and dynamics of proteins of the MCM family during mouse oogenesis and the first embryonic cell cycle. Swiech L et al. We describe the localization of three proteins of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family, Mcm2, -6 and -7 in mouse ovarian oocytes. We showed that Mcm proteins are stored in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble Mcm2, -6 and -7 were uniformly distributed in the nuclei of ovarian oocytes. Insoluble Mcm2 and Mcm7 (but not Mcm6) were detected in the nuclei of resting, growing and fully-grown transcribing oocytes. In transcriptionally inactive fully-grown oocytes, Mcm2 underwent redistribution and Mcm7 disappeared. A similar effect was observed when transcription in growing oocytes was inhibited with alpha-amanitin. We postulate that in mouse oogenesis, the insoluble Mcm proteins are engaged in processes related to regulation of transcription and/or chromatin organization. In oocytes preparing for meiotic maturation, aggregates of the insoluble form of Mcm2 fragmented, dispersed and ultimately disappeared from the nuclei. Numerous Mcm2-positive deposits were observed in the cytoplasm of maturing oocytes. In the one-cell embryo, insoluble Mcm2 appeared in the G1 nucleus, persisted in the S phase and was undetectable in the G2 nucleus. Such behavior of Mcm2 supports its involvement in chromatin licensing in the first embryonic cell cycle.
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