Description
Early Mitotic Inhibitor-1 regulates mitosis by inhibiting the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC). It is a conserved F box protein containing a zinc-binding region essential for APC inhibition. The protein functions to promote cyclin A accumulation and S phase entry in somatic cells by inhibiting the APC complex. At the G1-S transition, EMI-1 is transcriptionally induced by the E2F transcription factor. Overexpression accelerates S-phase entry and can override a G1 block caused by overexpression of Cdh1 or the E2F-inhibitor p105 retinoblastoma protein (pRb). Depleting cells of EMI-1 through RNA interference prevents accumulation of cyclin A and inhibits S phase entry