cdc7 — Schizosaccharomyces pombe 972h-

Summary

SPBC21.06C (cdc7, also known as CDC15 or SpCDC15) on chromosome 2 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe encodes a protein kinase with MEKK activity, classified as EC 2.7.11.1, and ATP binding, and metal binding. The product belongs to the STE20/SPS1-PAK and ARM-like domain families. This gene is associated with numerous cell cycle processes, including cleavage furrow formation, contractile ring contraction, abscission, centromere separation, mitotic S phase, G1/G0 transition, and second meiotic division. It is also linked to membrane dynamics such as invagination, tubulation, and bending, as well as cell motility, chemotaxis, ruffle assembly, and JNK cascade signaling. The protein localizes to spindle pole bodies, the division septum, cell tips, and the plasmalemma. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to reduced virulence and associations with vascular wilt pathogens such as Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum.