Atypical cyclins have recently emerged as a new subfamily of cyclins, with their own structural characteristics and specific patterns of interaction.

 

Given that cyclins have well-established roles in cell cycle regulation and cancer, and that the function of atypical cyclins is still poorly characterised, researchers from UIC Barcelona’s New Cyclins Research Group have conducted a study entitled  “Atypical cyclins in cancer: New kids on the block?”.

 

Recently published in the journal Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, the main aim of the article is to conduct a thorough analysis of atypical cyclins which have recently emerged as a new subfamily of cyclins, to provide new insights into its potential importance in cancer.

The research group, led by Dr Josep Clotet, shows that atypical cyclins intervene in critical processes to sustain cancer growth.

 

The study, in which Dr Mariana Ponte and Dr Eva Quandt, lecturers at UIC Barcelona Department of Basic Sciences, have also taken part, analysed levels of both mRNA and protein, using information from publicly accessible databases, and has revealed a differential expression of atypical cyclins in normal and tumour tissues.

 

“A comparison of patient survival according to the expression levels of atypical cyclins has shown that each of them has prognostic value in at least one type of cancer,” explains Dr.Mariana Ponte, one of the main authors of the study.