Identification of pathways regulating cell size and cell-cycle progression by RNAi

Recent advances in our understanding of control of the eukaryotic cell cycle have relied on loss-of-function analyses of unicellular yeasts. But in multicellular organisms there are additional control mechanisms that regulate cell-cycle progression in the G1 phase, and specify the size of the organism and its constituent organs. An RNA interference (RNAi) screening for pathways regulating cell size and cell cycle in Drosophila has now identified genes that specifically control cell size, cytokinesis, and cell death/apoptosis. The panel of genes involved in cell-cycle control will serve as a basis for a systems biology approach to analysis of the metazoan cell cycle.