Phosphate: from stardust to eukaryotic cell cycle control Authors Javier Jiménez Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Samuel Bru Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Mariana P.C. Ribeiro Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Josep Clotet Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain Keywords: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pho85, cyclin, polyphosphate, cell cycle Abstract Phosphorus is a pivotal element in all biochemical systems: it serves to store metabolic energy as ATP, it forms the backbone of genetic material such as RNA and DNA, and it separates cells from the environment as phospholipids. In addition to this “big hits”, phosphorus has recently been shown to play an important role in other important processes such as cell cycle regulation. In the present review, we briefly summarize the biological processes in which phosphorus is involved in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae before discussing our latest findings on the role of this element in the regulation of DNA replication in this eukaryotic model organism. We describe both the role of phosphorus in the regulation of G1 progression by means of the Cyclin Dependent Kinase (CDK) Pho85 and the stabilization of the cyclin Cln3, as well as the role of other molecule composed of phosphorus–the polyphosphate–in cell cycle progression, dNTP synthesis, and genome stability. Given the eminent role played by phosphorus in life, we outline the future of phosphorus in the context of one of the main challenges in human health: cancer treatment. [Int Microbiol 19(3):133-141 (2016)]Keywords: Saccharomyces cerevisiae · Pho85 · cyclin · polyphosphate · cell cycle Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 19 No. 3 (2016) Section Research Reviews License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.