The protein encoded by this gene is structurally very similar to the CDC46 protein from S. cerevisiae, a protein involved in the initiation of DNA replication. The encoded protein is a member of the MCM family of chromatin-binding proteins and can interact with at least two other members of this family. The encoded protein is upregulated in the transition from the G0 to G1/S phase of the cell cycle and may actively participate in cell cycle regulation. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the MCM5 was upregulated in common in splenocytes at day 7 post-injury following burn or trauma-hemorrhage, where it was identified as a gene expression marker associated with DNA replication [Lederer et al. DOI:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00086.2007]. Separate research in zebrafish and mice investigating postmortem transcriptome dynamics identified the MCM5 as a cancer-associated gene whose transcript abundance increased after death [Pozhitkov et al. DOI:10.1098/rsob.160267].