CDC7 Protein

CDC7 is a cell division cycle protein that is critical for the G1/S transition and initiation of DNA replication during the cell division cycle. Overexpression of CDC7 gene product may be associated with neoplastic transformation for some tumors. Inhibition of CDC7 in cancer cells impairs progression through S phase, inducing a p53-independent apoptotic cell death, whereas in normal cells, it does not affect cell viability (1). Inhibition of CDC7 kinase activity in cancer cells restricts DNA replication and induces apoptosis. CDC7 phosphorylates the minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (Mcm2), a component of the DNA replicative helicase needed for genome duplication (2).