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Model Organisms for Studying the Cell Cycle

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Cell Cycle Oscillators

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1342))

Abstract

Regulation of the cell-division cycle is fundamental for the growth, development, and reproduction of all species of life. In the past several decades, a conserved theme of cell cycle regulation has emerged from research in diverse model organisms. A comparison of distinct features of several diverse model organisms commonly used in cell cycle studies highlights their suitability for various experimental approaches, and recaptures their contributions to our current understanding of the eukaryotic cell cycle. A historic perspective presents a recollection of the breakthrough upon unfolding the universal principles of cell cycle control by scientists working with diverse model organisms, thereby appreciating the discovery pathways in this field.

A comprehensive understanding is necessary to address current challenging questions about cell cycle control. Advances in genomics, proteomics, quantitative methodologies, and approaches of systems biology are redefining the traditional concept of what constitutes a model organism and have established a new era for development of novel, and refinement of the established model organisms. Researchers working in the field are no longer separated by their favorite model organisms; they have become more integrated into a larger community for gaining greater insights into how a cell divides and cycles. The new technologies provide a broad evolutionary spectrum of the cell-division cycle and allow informative comparisons among different species at a level that has never been possible, exerting unimaginable impact on our comprehensive understanding of cell cycle regulation.

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Acknowledgement

I thank my colleagues at Keck Science Department, Claremont Colleges, CA, Dr. Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert for providing an image of budding yeast S. cerevisiae; Dr. Bryan Thines and Dr. Babak Sanii for reading and the feedback on the manuscript. I also thank Dr. Louise Weston for editing and the feedback on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. W.M. Keck Science Center, The Claremont Colleges, 925 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

    Zhaohua Tang

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  1. Zhaohua Tang
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Correspondence to Zhaohua Tang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Amanda S. Coutts

  2. Scientific writer, London, United Kingdom

    Louise Weston

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Tang, Z. (2016). Model Organisms for Studying the Cell Cycle. In: Coutts, A., Weston, L. (eds) Cell Cycle Oscillators. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1342. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2957-3_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2957-3_2

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2956-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2957-3

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