Ubiquitin and SUMO systems in the regulation of mitotic checkpoints

Proteolysis mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system is a crucial regulatory mechanism in signal transduction cascades of temporal cellular processes such as cell division. Two principal subtypes of modular ubiquitin ligase, the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) and the Skp1/Cullin-1/F-box protein complex, have emerged as essential regulators of key events in the cell cycle. The importance of these ligases is best illustrated by their roles in the checkpoint and repair pathways or in response to multiple stresses, where they affect activation of the M-phase-promoting factor or proper formation and/or maintenance of the mitotic spindle. Recent studies have considerably improved our understanding of the function of the concerted action of the phosphorylation and ubiquitin or SUMO systems in the regulation of the stability and activity of key components of the mitotic checkpoint.