The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a protein synthesized in early G1 and S phases of the cell cycle, functions in cell cycle progression, DNA replication and DNA repair. In early S phase, PCNA exhibits granular distribution and is absent from the nucleoli; however, in late S phase, it relocates to the nucleoli. PCNA exists in two basic forms: one involved in ongoing DNA replication, which localizes specifically to the nucleus, and a second, soluble form, not implicated in constant synthesis. Interestingly, the latter form degrades in the presence of organic solvents, rendering it undetectable by histological methods in tissues using organic fixatives, and thus also providing a method of visualizing only the synthesizing form.
