Taking the heat together: Many of the processes in living cells are mediated by protein complexes that dynamically assemble and dissociate depending on cellular needs. Tan et al. developed a method called thermal proximity coaggregation (TPCA) to monitor the dynamics of native protein complexes inside cells (see the Perspective by Li et al. ). The method is based on the idea that proteins within a complex will coaggregate upon heat denaturation. It uses a previously described cellular shift assay to determine melting curves for thousands of proteins and assigns a TPCA signature on the basis of similarity between the curves. The method was validated by detection of many known protein complexes. It identified cell-specific interactions in six cell lines, highlighting the potential for identifying protein complexes that are modulated by disease. Science , this issue p. 1170 ; see also p. 1105

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 is a master integrator that couples mitogenic/oncogenic signalling cascades with the inactivation of the central oncosuppressor Rb and the cell cycle. Its activation requires binding to a D-type cyclin and then T-loop phosphorylation at T172 by the only identified CDK-activating kinase in animal cells, cyclin H-CDK7. In contrast with the observed constitutive activity of cyclin H-CDK7, we have recently identified the T172-phosphorylation of cyclin D-bound CDK4 as a crucial cell cycle regulatory target. Intriguingly, the homologous T177-phosphorylation of CDK6 is weak in several systems and does not present this regulation. In this Perspective, we review the recent advances and debates on the multistep mechanism leading to activation of D-type cyclin–CDK4 complexes. This involves a re-evaluation of the implication of Cip/Kip CDK “inhibitors” and CDK7 in this process.

The liver acts as a hub for metabolic reactions to keep a homeostatic balance during development and growth. The process of liver cancer development, although poorly understood, is related to different etiologic factors like toxins, alcohol, or viral infection. At the molecular level, liver cancer is characterized by a disruption of cell cycle regulation through many molecular mechanisms. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms underlying the lack of regulation of the cell cycle during liver cancer, focusing mainly on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We also provide a brief summary of novel therapies connected to cell cycle regulation.

The homologous cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) CDK4 and CDK6 integrate mitogenic and oncogenic signaling cascades with the cell cycle. Their activation requires binding to a D-type cyclin and then T-loop phosphorylation at T172 and T177 (respectively) by the only CDK-activating kinase identified in animal cells, cyclin H-CDK7. At odds with the existing data showing the constitutive activity of CDK7, we have recently identified the T172 phosphorylation of cyclin D-bound CDK4 as a crucial cell cycle regulatory target. Here we show that T172 phosphorylation of CDK4 is conditioned by its unique proline 173 residue. In contrast to CDK4, CDK6 does not contain such a proline and, unexpectedly, remained poorly phosphorylated and active in a variety of cells. Mutations of proline 173 did not adversely affect CDK4 activation by CDK7, but in cells they abolished CDK4 T172 phosphorylation and activity. Conversely, substituting a proline for the corresponding residue of CDK6 enforced its complete, apparently cyclin-independent T177 phosphorylation and dramatically increased its activity. These results lead us to propose that CDK4 might not be phosphorylated by CDK7 in intact cells but is more likely phosphorylated by another, presumably proline-directed kinase(s). Moreover, they provide a new model of a potentially oncogenic activating mutation of a CDK.