Activation of cyclin D1-kinase in murine fibroblasts lacking both p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1).

Deregulation of D-type cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4 and 6) is widely observed in various human cancers, illustrating their importance in cell cycle control. Like other cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), assembly with cyclins is the most critical step for activation of CDK4/6. As previously reported elsewhere, we observed that the level of cyclinD1-CDK4 complex and its associated kinase activity were significantly low in asynchronously proliferating mouse embryo fibroblasts lacking both p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1) (p21/p27-null MEFs).

Biallelic mutations in p16(INK4a) confer resistance to Ras- and Ets-induced senescence in human diploid fibroblasts.

The INK4a/ARF tumor suppressor locus is implicated in the senescence-like growth arrest provoked by oncogenic Ras in primary cells. INK4a and ARF are distinct proteins encoded by transcripts in which a shared exon is decoded in alternative reading frames. Here we analyze dermal fibroblasts (designated Q34) from an individual carrying independent missense mutations in each copy of the common exon.