title: Involvement of Aurora A kinase during meiosis I-II transition in Xenopus oocytes.
abstract: The Aurora kinase family has been involved both in vivo and in vitro in the stability of the metaphase plate and chromosome segregation. However, to date only one member of this family, the protein kinase Aurora B, has been implicated in the regulation of meiotic division in Caenorhabditis elegans. In this species, disruption of Aurora B results in the failure of polar body extrusion. To investigate whether Aurora A is also required in meiosis, we microinjected highly specific alpha-Aurora A antibodies in Xenopus oocytes. We demonstrated that microinjected oocytes fail to extrude the first polar body and are arrested with condensed chromosomes on a typical metaphase I plate, which has not performed its normal 90 degrees rotation. We additionally found that, although the failure of first polar body extrusion observed in alpha-Aurora A-microinjected oocytes is likely mediated by Eg5, the impairment of the metaphase plate rotation does not involve this kinesin-like protein. Surprisingly, although chromosomes remain condensed at a metaphase I stage in alpha-Aurora A-microinjected oocytes, the cytoplasmic cell cycle events progress normally through meiosis until metaphase II arrest. Moreover, these oocytes are able to undergo parthenogenetic activation. We conclude that Aurora A and Eg5 are involved in meiosis I to meiosis II transition in Xenopus oocytes.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, UPR 1086 CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mandart
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lorca
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002474:Cell-Free System; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008540:Meiosis; D008677:Metaphase; D008954:Models, Biological; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011418:Prophase; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014981:Xenopus / Q000196:embryology*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C088335:KIF11 protein, Xenopus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D011374:Progesterone; D011494:Protein Kinases; C112134:AURKA protein, Xenopus; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D016547:Kinesins