A ROS-dependent mechanism to drive progression through S phase

Abstract

Long considered as cytotoxic reagents, reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the right concentration promote cell proliferation in cell culture, stem cells and model organisms. However, how ROS signaling is coordinated with cell cycle progression and integrated into the cell cycle control machinery on the molecular level remains unsolved. Here, we report oscillations of mitochondrial ROS during the cell cycle that target cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2). Chemical and metabolic interference with ROS production decrease T-loop phosphorylation on CDK2, impeding its full activation and thus efficient DNA replication. ROS regulate CDK2 activity through oxidation of a conserved cysteine residue in close proximity to the T-loop, which prevents binding of the T-loop phosphatase KAP. Together our data reveal how ROS couple mitochondrial metabolism to DNA replication and cell cycle progression, and provide a solution to the longstanding conundrum of how KAP activity towards CDKs can be cell cycle-regulated.