Cell division cycle 5-like protein (CDC5L)

Cell division cycle 5-like protein (CDC5L) is a conserved nuclear protein encoded by the CDC5L gene in humans and homologous to the yeast CDC5 gene product[1][2][6]. CDC5L acts as a positive regulator of the G2/M cell cycle transition and is an essential component of a non-snRNA spliceosome complex critical for the second catalytic step of pre-mRNA splicing[1][2][4]. It participates in regulating mitotic and meiotic progression, modulating expression and splicing efficiency of mitosis- and DNA repair-associated genes[3][5][6]. CDC5L is involved in DNA damage response by interacting with ATR and facilitating S-phase checkpoint activation[5]. Dysregulation or depletion arrests mitosis, disrupts kinetochore-microtubule attachment, activates the spindle assembly checkpoint, and leads to mitotic catastrophe or DNA damage[3][6]. Clinical research implicates CDC5L in several human cancers, suggesting a cancer-promoting role when overexpressed or mutated[6]. No clinically approved drugs target CDC5L directly to date, but its essential function in splicing and the cell cycle makes it a potential anti-mitotic therapeutic target[3].

Other names

Cdc5-like proteinKIAA0432PCDC5RPhCDC5CEF1Pombe cdc5-related proteindJ319D22.1CDC5L proteinCDC5L complex component

Not established for direct drugs; mechanistically, depletion or dysfunction impairs G2/M progression, mitotic spindle checkpoint, and genomic stability