APC/C-Cdc20-mediated degradation of cyclin B participates in CSF arrest in unfertilized Xenopus eggs.
In vertebrates, unfertilized eggs are arrested at meiotic metaphase II (meta-II) by cytostatic factor (CSF), with Cdc2 activity maintained at a constant, high level. CSF is thought to suppress cyclin B degradation through the inhibition of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C)-Cdc20 while cyclin B synthesis continues in unfertilized eggs. Thus, it is a mystery how Cdc2 activity is kept constant during CSF arrest. Here, we show that the APC/C-Cdc20 can mediate cyclin B degradation in CSF-arrested Xenopus eggs and extracts, in such a way that when Cdc2 activity is elevated beyond a critical level, APC/C-Cdc20-dependent cyclin B degradation is activated and Cdc2 activity consequently declines to the critical level. This feedback control of Cdc2 activity is shown to be required for keeping Cdc2 activity constant during meta-II arrest. We have also shown that Mos/MAPK pathway is essential for preventing the cyclin B degradation from inactivating Cdc2 below the critical level required to sustain meta-II arrest. Our results indicate that under CSF arrest, Mos/MAPK activity suppresses cyclin B degradation, preventing Cdc2 activity from falling below normal meta-II levels, whereas activation of APC/C-Cdc20-mediated cyclin B degradation at elevated levels of Cdc2 activity prevents Cdc2 activity from reaching excessively high levels.
Yamamoto
Tomomi M
TM
Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta 4259, Midoriku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
Iwabuchi
Mari
M
Ohsumi
Keita
K
Kishimoto
Takeo
T
D064173:Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome; D000818:Animals; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019926:Cyclin B / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017231:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mos / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D043743:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D019926:Cyclin B; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D043743:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Complexes; D064173:Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome; D017231:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mos; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase