It is assumed that in order for a cell to divide it must progress through a series of gradual stages. At each of these phases certain proteins have to be manufactured through mRNA and/or modified post-transcriptionally in order to serve an specific proliferative or anti-proliferative role, which overall eventually orchestrates the transit to the subsequent stage.
Conventionally the cell cycle is comprised of 3 "interphase" stages prior to execution of Mitosis itself: G1 (growth, metabolically active), S (synthesis of DNA to duplicate genetic material in preparation for its splitting into two daughter cells), and G2 (gap phase where a numerous of quality control checks are undertaken in the form of surveillance of the newly produced DNA for example to ensure viability of the progenies).
Under these premises, the protein content of a cell at an specific phase is expected to cycle or oscillate in accordance with its requirements, and this is linked to mRNA cyclicity as the most direct responsible process for modulation of protein abundance. It is then related to the cell cycle in the sense that in order to transit from the G1 phase for instance, proteins involved in DNA synthesis will need to be produced, and thus protein factors released for the transcription of those certain mRNAs to take place.
Experimentally such dissection of cell cycle-regulated genes is tricky. 362
Extracting mRNA from pure sub-populations of cells at specific stages of cell division is challenging as the isolation of such cell sub-populations is normally through chemical enrichments and sub-optimal synchronisation procedures. The signal to noise ratio is not ideal under these circumstances.
In brief, the cell cycles through stages in order to divide and such cycling is in itself due to the cycling of certain proteins, the most renown ones are called precisely "cyclins", which are protein markers of cells division. Cyclin D, E, A, B prevail differently at different stages of the cell cycle as a result of the balanced equation of mRNA transcription and post-transcriptional protein modifications (phosphorylation events mark them for degradation for example). Overall an intertwined and well-coordinated process.
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For a suitable selection of some basic bibliography on the subject, robust sources covering the subject with rigour (less specific and dense than the journal articles I comment bellow) please refer to the following links:
* Molecular Biology of the Cell
* Molecular Cell Biology
* Cell Cycle Regulation
* The Cell Cycle Principles of Control
& even a review of the latter here.
HTH 29