In eukaryotes, the cell cycle is a complicated process that has evolved into a network of regulatory proteins known as the cell cycle regulation system.
It regulates and directs the progression of the cell through the cell cycle.
This mechanism acts as a clock or timer, allowing cells to stay in each stage of the cell cycle for a specified amount of time.
It is also responsive to information gathered from the processes it supervises at the same time.
Cell cycle checkpoints are vital in the control system because they detect errors during critical processes like chromosomal segregation or DNA replication and cause a cell cycle to stop as a reaction until the flaws are rectified.
The modulation of the activities of protein kinases known as cyclin-dependent kinases is the primary mechanism by which cell cycle checkpoints function (CDKs).