Cell cycle regulation by the retinoblastoma family of growth inhibitory proteins

The retinoblastoma family of growth-inhibitory proteins act by binding and inhibiting several proteins with growth-stimulatory activity, the most prominent of which is the cellular transcription factor E2F. In higher organisms, progression through the cell division cycle is accompanied by the cyclical activation of a number of protein kinases, the cyclin-dependent kinases. Phosphorylation of retinoblastoma family proteins by these cyclin-dependent kinases leads to release of the associated growth-stimulatory proteins which in turn mediate progression through the cell division cycle.