Cyclin A2 belongs to the cyclin family, whose members regulate cell cycle progression by interacting with CDK kinases. Cyclin A2 is unique in that it can activate two different CDK kinases; it binds CDK2 during S phase, and CDK1 during the transition from G2 to M phase. Cyclin A2 is involved in the G2/M transition but it cannot independently form a maturation promoting factor (MPF). Recent studies have shown that the cyclin A2-CDK1 complex triggers cyclin B1-CDK1 activation which results in chromatin condensation and the breakdown of the nuclear envelope. The levels of cyclin A2 are tightly synchronized with the progression of the cell cycle.Transcription initiates in late G1, peaks and plateaus in mid-S, and declines in G2. Cyclin A2 (Ccna2) is a key protein involved in the direction of mammalian cardiac myocytes to grow and divide, and has been shown to induce cardiac repair following myocardial infarction. Increased expression of cyclin A2 has been observed in many types of cancer such as breast, cervical, liver, and lung among others.
