MCM2 (RBT-MCM2), RMab

Summary and Explanation

MCM-2 (mini-chromosome maintenance 2) is a human gene. The protein encoded by this gene is one of the highly conserved mini-chromosome maintenance proteins (MCM) that is involved in the initiation of eukaryotic genome replication. The hexameric protein complex formed by MCM proteins is a key component of the pre-replication complex, and may be involved in the formation of replication forks and in the recruitment of other DNA replication-related proteins. This protein forms a complex with MCM-4, 6, and 7, and has been shown to regulate the helicase activity of the complex. This protein is phosphorylated, and thus regulated by protein kinases CDC2 and CDC7.

MCM-2 is essential for eukaryotic DNA replication and drives the formation of pre-replicative complexes, which is the key first step during the G1 phase. Therefore, altered MCM-2 antibody expression may be a hallmark of cell-cycle deregulation, which could be the most essential mechanism in the development and progression of human cancers. MCM2 has been identified by DNA microarray and transcriptional profiling as a gene that is over-expressed in Cervical Carcinomas. This protein is over-expressed in Cervical Dysplasia as a result of HPV infection. The over-expression of MCM-2 provides the link between oncogenic HPV infection and the molecular event of Cervical Dysplasia.