“Both S-phase and mitosis are common to all cell cycles and both are necessary for the two newly divided cells to receive a full complement of genes. In fission yeast the onset of S-phase and mitosis can be controlled by a single cyclin dependent kinase with different levels of CDK activity bringing about progression through the cell cycle in an orderly fashion. Using phosphoproteomics we show that a low CDK activity is sufficient to bring about S-phase whilst a high activity blocks a further S-phase and is needed for onset of mitosis. A G2 cell can be programmed to undergo either S-phase or mitosis simply by modifying CDK activity indicating there is no inherent direction in the cell cycle.”

The Biological Society is very pleased to announce that Sir Paul Nurse will be giving a talk on Friday 13th May.
Sir Paul won the Nobel Prize in 2001 alongside Sir Tim Hunt and Leland Hartwell for the discovery of the molecules that are active in controlling the cell cycle. He has previously been chair of Microbiology at Oxford, and was President of the Royal Society for 5 years. He is now Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute in London.

This is a fantastic opportunity to hear Sir Paul talk and have the opportunity to ask questions, and we really hope many of you will be interested. The talk is free for members, and £3 for non-members, with membership available on the door