Temporal integration of mitogen history in mother cells controls proliferation of daughter cells

Abstract

How cells monitor mitogen availability: Classical experiments indicated that cells sense the mitogens or growth factors that control cell division within a limited window during the cell cycle. Min et al. reexamined this issue with high-throughput live-cell imaging and temporally controlled perturbations to more closely monitor dynamic signal processing. Human epithelial cells in culture integrated the mitogenic signals sensed throughout the cell cycle. One important factor was the control of translation rates, which influenced the amount of cyclin D, thus regulating proliferation. The results may also help to explain how cells maintain a uniform size. Science , this issue p. 1261