Role of Cyclin B1 Levels in DNA Damage and DNA Damage-Induced Senescence

The cyclin B1–Cdk1 complex is a key regulator of mitotic entry. A large number of proteins are phosphorylated by the cyclin B1–Cdk1 complex prior to mitotic entry. Regulation of the mitotic events is linked to the control of the activity of the cyclin B1–Cdk1 complex to make cells enter mitosis, arrest at G2-phase, or skip mitosis. The roles of cyclin B1 levels in DNA damage are described. The ATM/ATR pathway acts as a molecular switch for regulating cell fates, flipping between cell death via progress into mitosis and polyploidization via sustained G2 arrest upon DNA damage, where cyclin B1 degradation is important for inducing polyploidization. The decrease in cyclin B1 levels that is induced by DNA damage leads to polyploidization in DNA damage-induced senescence. A useful method for monitoring the expression level of cyclin B1 throughout cell cycle progression in living cells is also presented.