Xenopus cell-free extracts and their contribution to the study of DNA replication and other complex biological processes

• J. Julian Blow ^[1] ; Ronald A. Laskey ^[2]
  1. [1] University of Dundee

     University of Dundee

     Reino Unido

     
  2. [2] University of Cambridge

     University of Cambridge

     Cambridge District, Reino Unido

     
• Localización: International journal of developmental biology, ISSN 0214-6282, Vol. 60, Nº. Extra 7-9, 2016 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Special Issue: Cell-free Extracts in Development & Cancer Research / coord. por Jacek Z. Kubiak), págs. 201-207
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Here we discuss the important contributions that cell-free extracts have made to the study of complex biological processes. We provide a brief history of how cell-free extracts of frog eggs were developed to avoid many of the problems that can arise from the dilution and mixing of cellular components that typically occur when cell-free extracts are prepared. We briefly describe how Xenopus egg extracts have been fundamental to the study of many important cellular processes including DNA replication, cell cycle progression, nuclear protein import, nuclear assembly and chromosome organisation. We describe how, in particular, Xenopus egg extracts have made a major contributions to the study of DNA replication, by permitting the direct manipulation of proteins in a system that is extraordinarily faithful to the way that DNA replication occurs in the living embryo. Finally we consider how results obtained using Xenopus egg extracts are being translated to produce diagnostic reagents for cancer screening and diagnosis.