Abstract
In addition to the well characterized phosphoinositide second messengers derived from the plasma membrane, increasing evidence supports the existence of a nuclear phosphoinositide signaling network. The aim of this investigation was to dissect the role played by nuclear phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) in cell cycle progression and to determine the cell cycle regulatory component(s) that are involved. A number of cytosolic/nuclear PtdIns(4,5)P2-deficient Swiss 3T3 cell lines were established, and their G 0/G 1/S cell cycle phase transitions induced by defined mitogens were examined. Our results demonstrate that nuclear PtdIns(4,5)P2 down-regulation caused a delay in phorbol ester-induced S phase entry and that this was at least in part channeled through cyclin A2 at the transcriptional level. In summary, these data identify cyclin A2 as a downstream effector of the nuclear PtdIns(4,5)P2 signaling network and highlight the importance of nuclear PtdIns(4,5)P2 in the regulation of mammalian mitogenesis.