G1 phase is the lap phase where the cell obtains essential growth and necessary elements; increase in size by biomolecular synthesis; to proceed the cell cycle or to enter G0 to restrict them by functioning regular metabolic activities.
In most of the eukaryotes the increase in CDKA – CYCD in G1 phase makes the cell cross the restriction point and irreversibly committed to cell cycle; involves an activation pathway.
The Cyclin D concentration responds to external cues such as hormone induction, availabilities of nutrients; promote CDKA-CYCD complex thereby initiating the G1 activity; the concentration of the CYCD-CDKA complex increase the phosphorylation of Rb (Retinoblastoma) proteins.
The Rb proteins are the inhibitor of transcription factors transcribing the proteins and RNA essential for the synthesis phase.
In the absence of the CYC-CDK complex the pathway is inhibited by Rb protein.
The transcription is also inhibited when a cell synthesis the essential quantity of proteins required for S Phase or when the CYC-CDK complex over express in the process.
The transition pathway is conserved in plants. Generally; plants have a single Rb homologue and 6 types of E2F transcription factors.
E2F is further divided into 2 groups: CANONICAL and ATYPICAL. E2Fa, E2Fb, E2Fc require a dimeric substance such as DP to bind to the DNA are canonical and monomeric factors E2Fd, E2Fe, E2Ff are Atypical.
Each E2F factors has a definitive function which are not yet determined correctly; but from many scientific experiments in Arabidopsis the functions are deduced as:
E2Fa – Transcriptional
E2Fb – Transcriptional
E2Fc – Down Regulation of Transcription (Repressors)
E2Fd – unidentified
E2Fe – Prevent endocycles delaying cell elongation
E2Ff – Cell expansion Also, E2Fa and E2Fb are more essential in S Phase to balance proliferation and endoreduplication in cell.
E2F transcription leads to initiation and increase in the DNA replication by setting up a replication origin where ORC – origin replication complex binds to produce the replicating fork for DNA synthesis.
The regulating checkpoint in the process is the expression of E2Fc transcriptional factors which are induced by the genetic expression mediated by E2Fa/b; inhibit the over expression of DNA Replication.