Background: DNA damage triggers cell cycle checkpoints to halt cell division ahead of DNA repair. Results: Ectopic cyclin G2 (CycG2) induces a Chk2-dependent cell cycle arrest, and depletion of endogenous CycG2 attenuates doxorubicin-induced G 2 /M-phase cell cycle arrest. Conclusion: CycG2 influences checkpoint signaling and is required for G 2 /M arrest responses to genotoxic stress. Significance: Proper checkpoint function is important for genomic integrity and tumor suppression.

The CCNG2 gene that encodes the unconventional cyclin G2 was one of the few genes up-regulated on anti -human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antibodymediated inhibition of HER2 signaling. The purpose of this study was to explore how HER2 signaling modulates cyclin G2 expression and the effect of elevated cyclin G2 on breast cancer cell growth. Treatment of breast cancer cells that overexpress HER2 (BT474, SKBr3, and MDAMB453) with the anti-HER2 antibody trastuzumab or its precursor 4D5 markedly up-regulated cyclin G2 mRNA in vitro and in vivo, as shown by real-time PCR. Immunoblot and immunofluorescence analysis with specific antibodies against cyclin G2 showed that anti-HER2 antibody significantly increased cyclin G2 protein expression and translocated the protein to the nucleus. Trastuzumab was not able to induce cyclin G2 expression in cells weakly expressing HER2 (MCF7) or in cells that had developed resistance to trastuzumab. Enforced expression of HER2 in T47D and MDAMB435 breast cancer cells reduced cyclin G2 levels. Collectively, these data suggest that HER2-mediated signaling negatively regulates cyclin