bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.21.753170
Parental B-MYB/FOXM1 controls mitotic E2F to determine daughter cell fate
Abstract
Mitogens trigger cell-cycle entry by activating E2F at the restriction point, which is followed by B-MYB/FOXM1 activation and progression to mitosis. How mitogens control continued cycling and cell-cycle exit after the restriction point is not well-understood. By developing an E2F and B-MYB/FOXM1 dual transcriptional biosensor system, we show that S/G2 phase duration is set by timed mitogen-regulated B-MYB/FOXM1 activation, while E2F activity gradually declines before mitosis. As a striking consequence, rapid B-MYB/FOXM1 activation shortens S/G2, delivering high mitotic E2F activity to daughter cells which keeps them cycling. Delayed B-MYB/FOXM1 activation prolongs S/G2, depleting mitotic E2F which drives daughters to quiescence. When S/G2 is further prolonged, partially activated B-MYB/FOXM1 frequently reverts, triggering mitotic bypass and polyploid quiescence. Thus, B-MYB/FOXM1 governs a tri-directional (G2 restriction point) where cells commit to continued cycling through early B-MYB/FOXM1 activation; cell-cycle exit through delayed B-MYB/FOXM1 activation; or mitotic bypass by B-MYB/FOXM1 inactivation.
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MEYER, T., Rosenthal, D., Tsuruoka, T., Govindaraj, V., Konagaya, Y., Gong, B., Upadhya, S., Ratnayeke, N., Saha, D., Xia, W., Teruel, M.. 2026-09-22. Parental B-MYB/FOXM1 controls mitotic E2F to determine daughter cell fate. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.21.753170
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