Abstract
The checkpoint protein Chfr delays entry into mitosis in the presence of mitotic stress. We have analyzed the Chfr checkpoint pathway in the Xenopus cell-free system. We showed that Chfr is a ubiquitin ligase that targets polo-like kinase (Plk1) for degradation, leading to delayed activation of the Cdc25C phosphatase and prolonged inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2 at the G2/M transition. In this chapter, we will describe biochemical methods we developed to analyze the Chfr auto-ubiquitination activity and the ubiquitination of its substrate Plk1, as well as functional assays to investigate the Chfr pathway in Xenopus extracts.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 229-243 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) |
| Volume | 280 |
| State | Published - 2004 |