DNA damage: Chk1 and Cdc25, more than meets the eye

Control of mitotic entry is a component of the checkpoint response that contributes to cell survival following DNA damage. In some eukaryotic cells, mitotic entry relies heavily on regulation of the state of tyrosine phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc2. Evidence that checkpoint regulation of cell-cycle progression operates through controlling the state of Cdc2 tyrosine phosphorylation exists. Whether other targets of the checkpoint pathway could play important roles in the response to DNA damage is a subject of ongoing investigations.