The multiple roles of the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitory protein p57KIP2 in cerebral cortical neurogenesis

AbstractThe members of the CIP/KIP family of cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitory proteins (CKIs), including p57KIP2, p27KIP1, and p21CIP1, block the progression of the cell cycle by binding and inhibiting cyclin/CDK complexes of the G1 phase. In addition to this well‐characterized function, p57KIP2 and p27KIP1 have been shown to participate in an increasing number of other important cellular processes including cell fate and differentiation, cell motility and migration, and cell death/survival, both in peripheral and central nervous systems. Increasing evidence over the past few years has characterized the functions of the newest CIP/KIP member p57KIP2 in orchestrating cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration during neurogenesis. Here, we focus our discussion on the multiple roles played by p57KIP2 during cortical development, making comparisons to p27KIP1 as well as the INK4 family of CKIs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 72: 821–842, 2012