Mitosis inducer protein kinase cdr2

Cdr2 is a serine/threonine protein kinase mitotic regulator in the fission yeast S. pombe. It is encoded by the P87050 2247 bp ORF on the cosmid 57A10.^[1] The protein is 775 amino acids in length. Cdr2 is a member of the GIN4 family of kinases, which prevent progression of mitosis if there is a problem with septin. The N-terminus contains a sequence characteristic of serine/threonine protein kinase activity. The C-terminus, while non-catalytic, is necessary for proper localization of Cdr2 during interphase.

Cdr2 null constructs behave similarly to wild-type constructs; the only difference being a slight delay into mitosis and consequently, cells are slightly larger than in wild-type constructs. Therefore, Cdr2 is non-essential.^[1] Cdr2 regulates mitotic entry through direct inhibition of Wee1, which is then unable to continue to Cdk1 and subsequently start mitosis.