title: Coordinate activation of maternal protein degradation during the egg-to-embryo transition in C. elegans.
abstract: The transition from egg to embryo occurs in the absence of transcription yet requires significant changes in gene activity. Here, we show that the C. elegans DYRK family kinase MBK-2 coordinates the degradation of several maternal proteins, and is essential for zygotes to complete cytokinesis and pattern the first embryonic axis. In mbk-2 mutants, the meiosis-specific katanin subunits MEI-1 and MEI-2 persist during mitosis and the first mitotic division fails. mbk-2 is also required for posterior enrichment of the germ plasm before the first cleavage, and degradation of germ plasm components in anterior cells after cleavage. MBK-2 distribution changes dramatically after fertilization during the meiotic divisions, and this change correlates with activation of mbk-2-dependent processes. We propose that MBK-2 functions as a temporal regulator of protein stability, and that coordinate activation of maternal protein degradation is one of the mechanisms that drives the transition from symmetric egg to patterned embryo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pellettieri
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reinke
authors.forename: Stuart K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seydoux
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D010949:Plasma / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013997:Time Factors; D000097603:Dyrk Kinases
chemical_list: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D000097603:Dyrk Kinases; C440205:OMA-1 protein, C elegans; C100950:pie-1 protein, C elegans; C478059:MBK-2 protein, C elegans; C409406:PAR-1 protein, C elegans; C086678:MEI-1 protein, C elegans; C409220:MEI-2 protein, C elegans