Geminin is cleaved by caspase-3 during apoptosis in Xenopus egg extracts

Geminin is an important cell cycle regulator having a dual role in cell proliferation and differentiation. During proliferation, Geminin controls DNA synthesis by interacting with the licensing factor Cdt1 and interferes with the onset of differentiation by inhibiting the activity of transcription factors such as Hox and Six3. During early development Geminin also functions as neural inducer. Thus differential interaction of Geminin with Cdt1 or development-specific transcription factors influence the balance between proliferation and differentiation. Here, we report an additional feature of Geminin showing that it is a novel substrate of caspase-3 during apoptosis in in vitro Xenopus egg extracts. We also show that cleavage of Geminin occurs both in solution and on chromatin with distinct kinetics. In addition we show that cleavage of Geminin by caspase-3 is not relevant to its function as regulator of DNA synthesis, suggesting that its cleavage may be relevant to its role in differentiation.