{"entity":{"id":"cell-cycle","kind":"term","name":"Cell cycle","aka":["cell-cycle","cell cycle arrest","cell-cycle arrest","G1 phase","S phase","G2 phase","M phase","mitosis","mitotic"],"tldr":"The ordered sequence a cell goes through to copy its DNA and split in two, with checkpoints along the way where it pauses to check for damage. Cancer cells run through the checkpoints.","summary":"The phases are G1 (growth), S (DNA copying), G2 (checking) and M (mitosis, the actual division); proteins called cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) drive the transitions, and tumour suppressors such as RB1 and p53 hold them back until conditions are right. Cancers accelerate the cycle by amplifying cyclin D or losing RB1 and p53, and many drugs act on it: CDK4/6 inhibitors (palbociclib, ribociclib) hold the cell at the G1 checkpoint, while taxanes and vinca alkaloids sabotage mitosis itself. The 'cell-cycle checkpoint' is unrelated to the 'immune checkpoint' of immunotherapy, despite the shared word.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_cycle","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_cycle"}],"tags":[],"related":["cell-division","proliferation","tumour-suppressor-gene","kinase","chemotherapy-term"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":["cdk46-inhibitor"],"targets":["cdk4-6","tp53","wee1"],"drugs":["palbociclib","ribociclib","abemaciclib","paclitaxel"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":["p53-cell-cycle"],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Biology basics"},"route":"/terms/cell-cycle/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"cell-division","kind":"term","name":"Cell division","route":"/terms/cell-division/"},{"id":"checkpoint","kind":"term","name":"Checkpoint (two meanings)","route":"/terms/checkpoint/"},{"id":"chemotherapy-term","kind":"term","name":"Chemotherapy","route":"/terms/chemotherapy-term/"},{"id":"kinase","kind":"term","name":"Kinase","route":"/terms/kinase/"},{"id":"proliferation","kind":"term","name":"Proliferation","route":"/terms/proliferation/"},{"id":"tumour-suppressor-gene","kind":"term","name":"Tumour suppressor gene","route":"/terms/tumour-suppressor-gene/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cdk46-inhibitor","kind":"technology","name":"CDK4/6 inhibitors","route":"/technologies/cdk46-inhibitor/"}],"target":[{"id":"cdk4-6","kind":"target","name":"CDK4/6","route":"/targets/cdk4-6/"},{"id":"tp53","kind":"target","name":"TP53","route":"/targets/tp53/"},{"id":"wee1","kind":"target","name":"WEE1","route":"/targets/wee1/"}],"drug":[{"id":"abemaciclib","kind":"drug","name":"Abemaciclib","route":"/drugs/abemaciclib/"},{"id":"paclitaxel","kind":"drug","name":"Paclitaxel / nab-paclitaxel","route":"/drugs/paclitaxel/"},{"id":"palbociclib","kind":"drug","name":"Palbociclib","route":"/drugs/palbociclib/"},{"id":"ribociclib","kind":"drug","name":"Ribociclib","route":"/drugs/ribociclib/"}],"pathway":[{"id":"p53-cell-cycle","kind":"pathway","name":"p53 / RB / cell-cycle checkpoint","route":"/pathways/p53-cell-cycle/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-george-sclc-genomic-profiles-nature-2015","kind":"paper","name":"Comprehensive genomic profiles of small cell lung cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-george-sclc-genomic-profiles-nature-2015/"},{"id":"paper-el-deiry-waf1-p21-cell-1993","kind":"paper","name":"El-Deiry 1993: WAF1, the gene through which p53 stops cell division","route":"/key-papers/paper-el-deiry-waf1-p21-cell-1993/"},{"id":"paper-levine-p53-gatekeeper-cell-1997","kind":"paper","name":"Levine 1997: p53, the cellular gatekeeper for growth and division","route":"/key-papers/paper-levine-p53-gatekeeper-cell-1997/"},{"id":"paper-sherr-roberts-cdk-inhibitors-genesdev-1999","kind":"paper","name":"Sherr and Roberts 1999: CDK inhibitors as regulators of the G1 phase","route":"/key-papers/paper-sherr-roberts-cdk-inhibitors-genesdev-1999/"}]}}