DNA damage checkpoints and DNA replication controls in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In response to genotoxic agents and cell cycle blocks all eukaryotic cells activate a set of surveillance mechanisms called checkpoints. A subset of t hese mechanisms is represented by the DNA damage checkpoint, which is trigg ered by DNA lesions. The activation of this signal transduction pathway lea ds to a delay of cell cycle progression to prevent replication and segregat ion of damaged DNA molecules, and to induce transcription of several DNA re pair genes. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been invaluable in genet ically dissecting the DNA damage checkpoint pathway and recent findings hav e provided new insights into the architecture of checkpoint protein complex es, in their order of function and in the mechanisms controlling DNA replic ation in response to DNA damage. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.