scholarly journals Xenopus oocyte maturation does not require new cyclin synthesis.

1991 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 767-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Minshull ◽  
A Murray ◽  
A Colman ◽  
T Hunt

Progesterone induces fully grown, stage VI, Xenopus oocytes to pass through meiosis I and arrest in metaphase of meiosis II. Protein synthesis is required twice in this process: in order to activate maturation promoting factor (MPF) which induces meiosis I, and then again after the completion of meiosis I to reactivate MPF in order to induce meiosis II. We have used antisense oligonucleotides to destroy maternal stores of cyclin mRNAs, and demonstrate that new cyclin synthesis is not required for entry into either meiosis I or II. This finding is consistent with the demonstration that stage VI oocytes contain a store of B-type cyclin polypeptides (Kobayashi, H., J. Minshull, C. Ford, R. Golsteyn, R. Poon, and T. Hunt. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 114:755-765). Although approximately 70% of cyclin B2 is destroyed at first meiosis, the surviving fraction, together with a larger pool of surviving cyclin B1, must be sufficient to allow the reactivation of MPF and induce entry into second meiotic metaphase. Since stage VI oocytes do not contain any cyclin A, our results show that cyclin A is not required for meiosis in Xenopus. We discuss the possible nature of the proteins whose synthesis is required to induce meiosis I and II.

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3192-3203 ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Pickham ◽  
A N Meyer ◽  
J Li ◽  
D J Donoghue

The p34cdc2 protein kinase is a component of maturation-promoting factor, the master regulator of the cell cycle in all eukaryotes. The activity of p34cdc2 is itself tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Predicted regulatory phosphorylation sites of Xenopus p34cdc2 were mutated in vitro, and in vitro-transcribed RNAs were injected into Xenopus oocytes. The cdc2 single mutants Thr-14----Ala and Tyr-15----Phe did not induce germinal vesicle breakdown (BVBD) upon microinjection into oocytes. In contrast, the cdc2 double mutant Ala-14/Phe-15 did induce GVBD. Both the Ala-14 and Ala-14/Phe-15p34cdc2 mutants were shown to coimmunoprecipitate cyclin B1 and to phosphorylate histone H1 in immune complex kinase assays. Microinjection of antisense oligonucleotides to c-mosXe was used to demonstrate the role of mos protein synthesis in the induction of GVBD by the Ala-14/Phe-15 cdc2 mutant. Thr-161 was also mutated. p34cdc2 single mutants Ala-161 and Glu-161 and triple mutants Ala-14/Phe-15/Ala-161 and Ala-14/Phe-15/Glu-161 failed to induce GVBD in oocytes and showed a decreased binding to cyclin B1 in coimmunoprecipitations. Each of the cdc2 mutants was also assayed by coinjection with cyclin B1 or c-mosXe RNA into oocytes. Several of the cdc2 mutants were found to affect the kinetics of cyclin B1 and/or mos-induced GVBD upon coinjection, although none affected the rate of progesterone-induced maturation. We demonstrate here the significance of Thr-14, Tyr-15, and Thr-161 of p34cdc2 in Xenopus oocyte maturation. In addition, these results suggest a regulatory role for mosXe in induction of oocyte maturation by the cdc2 mutant Ala-14/Phe-15.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 310-315
Author(s):  
C B Barrett ◽  
R M Schroetke ◽  
F A Van der Hoorn ◽  
S K Nordeen ◽  
J L Maller

Treatment with insulin or progesterone or microinjection of the transforming protein product of Ha-rasVal-12,Thr-59 (p21) is known to induce germinal vesicle breakdown in Xenopus oocytes. We have investigated the effect of p21 on S6 kinase and the H1 histone kinase of maturation-promoting factor in the presence and absence of antisense oligonucleotides against the c-mosxe proto-oncogene. Injection of p21 led to a rapid increase in S6 phosphorylation, with kinetics similar to those previously observed with insulin. Microinjection of c-mosxe antisense oligonucleotides inhibited germinal vesicle breakdown induced by p21 and totally abolished S6 kinase activation by insulin or progesterone but only partially inhibited activation by p21. However, the activation of p34cdc2 protein kinase by all three stimuli was blocked by antisense oligonucleotides. The results suggest that in oocyte maturation c-mosxe functions downstream of p21 but upstream of p34cdc2 and S6 kinase activation, although not all p21-induced events require c-mosxe.


1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 707-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Hunt ◽  
F C Luca ◽  
J V Ruderman

Fertilization of clam oocytes initiates a series of cell divisions, of which the first three--meiosis I, meiosis II, and the first mitotic division--are highly synchronous. After fertilization, protein synthesis is required for the successful completion of every division except meiosis I. When protein synthesis is inhibited, entry into meiosis I and the maintenance of M phase for the normal duration of meiosis occur normally, but the chromosomes fail to interact correctly with the spindle in meiosis II metaphase. By contrast, inhibition of protein synthesis immediately after completion of meiosis or mitosis stops cells entering the next mitosis. We describe the behavior of cyclins A and B in relation to these "points of no return." The cyclins are synthesized continuously and are rapidly destroyed shortly before the metaphase-anaphase transition of the mitotic cell cycles, with cyclin A being degraded in advance of cyclin B. Cyclin destruction normally occurs during a 5-min window in mitosis, but in the monopolar mitosis that occurs after parthenogenetic activation of clam oocytes, or when colchicine is added to fertilized eggs about to enter first mitosis, the destruction of cyclin B is strongly delayed, whereas proteolysis of cyclin A is maintained in an activated state for the duration of metaphase arrest. Under either of these abnormal conditions, inhibition of protein synthesis causes a premature return to interphase that correlates with the time when cyclin B disappears.


1982 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel D. Richter ◽  
William J. Wasserman ◽  
L.Dennis Smith

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 1071-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Jones ◽  
C. Smythe

The entry into mitosis is dependent on the activation of mitotic forms of cdc2 kinase. In many cell types, cyclin A-associated kinase activity peaks just prior to that of cyclin B, although the precise role of cyclin A-associated kinase in the entry into mitosis is still unclear. Previous work has suggested that while cyclin B is capable of triggering cyclin destruction in Xenopus cell-free systems, cyclin A-associated kinase is not able to support this function. Here we have expressed a full-length human cyclin A in Escherichia coli and purified the protein to homogeneity by virtue of an N-terminal histidine tag. We have found that when added to Xenopus cell-free extracts free of cyclin B and incapable of protein synthesis, the temporal pattern of cyclin A-associated cdc2 kinase activity showed distinct differences that were dependent on the concentration of cyclin A added. When cyclin A was added to a concentration that generated levels of cdc2 kinase activity capable of inducing nuclear envelope breakdown, the histone H1 kinase activity profile was bi-phasic, consisting of an activation phase followed by an inactivation phase. Inactivation was found to be due to cyclin destruction, which was prevented by mos protein. Cyclin destruction was followed by nuclear reassembly and an additional round of DNA replication, indicating that there is no protein synthesis requirement for DNA replication in this embryonic system. It has been suggested that the evolutionary recruitment of cyclin A into an S phase function may have necessitated the loss of an original mitotic ability to activate the cyclin destruction pathway. The results presented here indicate that cyclin A has not lost the ability to activate its own destruction and that cyclin A-mediated activation of the cyclin destruction pathway permitted destruction of cyclin B1 as well as cyclin A, indicating that there are not distinct cyclin A and cyclin B destruction pathways. Thus the ordered progression of the cell cycle requires the careful titration of cyclin. A concentration in order to avoid activation of the cyclin destruction pathway before sufficient active cyclin B/cdc2 kinase has accumulated.


Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (19) ◽  
pp. 3795-3807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helfrid Hochegger ◽  
Andrea Klotzbücher ◽  
Jane Kirk ◽  
Mike Howell ◽  
Katherine le Guellec ◽  
...  

Progression through meiosis requires two waves of maturation promoting factor (MPF) activity corresponding to meiosis I and meiosis II. Frog oocytes contain a pool of inactive ‘pre-MPF’ consisting of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 bound to B-type cyclins, of which we now find three previously unsuspected members, cyclins B3, B4 and B5. Protein synthesis is required to activate pre-MPF, and we show here that this does not require new B-type cyclin synthesis, probably because of a large maternal stockpile of cyclins B2 and B5. This stockpile is degraded after meiosis I and consequently, the activation of MPF for meiosis II requires new cyclin synthesis, principally of cyclins B1 and B4, whose translation is strongly activated after meiosis I. If this wave of new cyclin synthesis is ablated by antisense oligonucleotides, the oocytes degenerate and fail to form a second meiotic spindle. The effects on meiotic progression are even more severe when all new protein synthesis is blocked by cycloheximide added after meiosis I, but can be rescued by injection of indestructible B-type cyclins. B-type cyclins and MPF activity are required to maintain c-mos and MAP kinase activity during meiosis II, and to establish the metaphase arrest at the end of meiotic maturation. We discuss the interdependence of c-mos and MPF, and reveal an important role for translational control of cyclin synthesis between the two meiotic divisions.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3192-3203
Author(s):  
K M Pickham ◽  
A N Meyer ◽  
J Li ◽  
D J Donoghue

The p34cdc2 protein kinase is a component of maturation-promoting factor, the master regulator of the cell cycle in all eukaryotes. The activity of p34cdc2 is itself tightly regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Predicted regulatory phosphorylation sites of Xenopus p34cdc2 were mutated in vitro, and in vitro-transcribed RNAs were injected into Xenopus oocytes. The cdc2 single mutants Thr-14----Ala and Tyr-15----Phe did not induce germinal vesicle breakdown (BVBD) upon microinjection into oocytes. In contrast, the cdc2 double mutant Ala-14/Phe-15 did induce GVBD. Both the Ala-14 and Ala-14/Phe-15p34cdc2 mutants were shown to coimmunoprecipitate cyclin B1 and to phosphorylate histone H1 in immune complex kinase assays. Microinjection of antisense oligonucleotides to c-mosXe was used to demonstrate the role of mos protein synthesis in the induction of GVBD by the Ala-14/Phe-15 cdc2 mutant. Thr-161 was also mutated. p34cdc2 single mutants Ala-161 and Glu-161 and triple mutants Ala-14/Phe-15/Ala-161 and Ala-14/Phe-15/Glu-161 failed to induce GVBD in oocytes and showed a decreased binding to cyclin B1 in coimmunoprecipitations. Each of the cdc2 mutants was also assayed by coinjection with cyclin B1 or c-mosXe RNA into oocytes. Several of the cdc2 mutants were found to affect the kinetics of cyclin B1 and/or mos-induced GVBD upon coinjection, although none affected the rate of progesterone-induced maturation. We demonstrate here the significance of Thr-14, Tyr-15, and Thr-161 of p34cdc2 in Xenopus oocyte maturation. In addition, these results suggest a regulatory role for mosXe in induction of oocyte maturation by the cdc2 mutant Ala-14/Phe-15.


Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (9) ◽  
pp. 2129-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Peter ◽  
Jean-Claude Labbé ◽  
Marcel Dorée ◽  
Elisabeth Mandart

The resumption of meiosis in Xenopus arrested oocytes is triggered by progesterone, which leads to polyadenylation and translation of Mos mRNA, then activation of MAPK pathway. While Mos protein kinase has been reported to be essential for re-entry into meiosis in Xenopus, arrested oocytes can undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) independently of MAPK activation, leading us to question what the Mos target might be if Mos is still required. We now demonstrate that Mos is indeed necessary, although is independent of the MAPK cascade, for conversion of inactive pre-MPF into active MPF. We have found that Myt1 is likely to be the Mos target in this process, as Mos interacts with Myt1 in oocyte extracts and Mos triggers Myt1 phosphorylation on some sites in vivo, even in the absence of MAPK activation. We propose that Mos is involved, not only in the MAPK cascade pathway, but also in a mechanism that directly activates MPF in Xenopus oocytes.


1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 1111-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Li ◽  
A N Meyer ◽  
D J Donoghue

Maturation-promoting factor, consisting of cdc2 protein kinase and a regulatory B-type cyclin, is a universal regulator of meiosis and mitosis in eukaryotes. In Xenopus, there are two subtypes of B-type cyclins, designated B1 and B2, both of which are phosphorylated. In this study, we have investigated the biological significance of this phosphorylation for Xenopus cyclin B1 during meiotic maturation. We have used a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and phosphopeptide-mapping to identify serine residues 2, 94, 96, 101, and 113 as presumptive phosphorylation sites, and together these sites account for all cyclin B1 phosphorylation in oocytes before germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). Single Ser-->Ala mutants as well as multiple site mutants have been constructed and characterized. Phosphorylation of cyclin B1 appears to be required for Xenopus oocyte maturation, based on the significantly diminished ability of the quintuple Ala mutant to induce oocyte maturation. Furthermore, partial phosphorylation of these five sites is sufficient to meet this requirement. Phosphorylation of cyclin B1 is not required for cdc2 kinase activity, for binding to cdc2 protein, for stability of cyclin B1 before GVBD, or for destruction of cyclin B1 after GVBD or after egg activation. A quintuple Glu mutant was also constructed, with serine residues 2, 94, 96, 101, and 113 mutated to Glu. In contrast to the quintuple Ala mutant, the quintuple Glu mutant was able to induce oocyte maturation efficiently, and with more rapid kinetics than wild-type cyclin B1. These data confirm that phosphorylation, as mimicked by Ser-->Glu mutations, confers enhanced biological activity to cyclin B1. Possible roles of cyclin B1 phosphorylation are discussed that might account for the increased biological activity of the quintuple Glu mutant.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document