1. A regulatory protein that controls the progression of cells through the cell cycle by activating cyclin-dependent kinases.
Usage: biology; biochemistry; technical

Examples

• Cyclins are essential proteins that regulate when cells divide and grow.
• The concentration of cyclin B increases during mitosis and then drops sharply after cell division.
• Cyclin-dependent kinases require cyclins to become active and phosphorylate target proteins.
• Cancer cells often have abnormal cyclin levels, which can lead to uncontrolled division.
• Researchers study cyclins to understand how the cell cycle is controlled at the molecular level.