title: Mammalian heat shock factor 1 is essential for oocyte meiosis and directly regulates Hsp90alpha expression.
abstract: Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) is the main regulator of the stress response that triggers the transcription of several genes encoding heat shock proteins (Hsps). Hsps act as molecular chaperones involved in protein folding, stability, and trafficking. HSF1 is highly expressed in oocytes and Hsf1 knock-out in mice revealed that in the absence of stress this factor plays an important role in female reproduction. We previously reported that Hsf1(-/-) females produce oocytes but no viable embryos. Consequently, we asked whether oocytes require HSF1 to regulate a particular set of Hsps necessary for them to develop. We find that Hsp90alpha (Hspaa1) is the major HSF1-dependent chaperone inasmuch as Hsf1 knock-out resulted in Hsp90-depleted oocytes. These oocytes exhibited delayed germinal vesicle breakdown (or G(2)/M transition), partial meiosis I block, and defective asymmetrical division. To probe the role of Hsp90alpha in this meiotic syndrome, we analyzed meiotic maturation in wild-type oocytes treated with a specific inhibitor of Hsp90, 17-allylamino-17-demethoxy-geldanamycin, and observed similar defects. At the molecular level we showed that, together with these developmental anomalies, CDK1 and MAPK, key meiotic kinases, were significantly disturbed. Thus, our data demonstrate that HSF1 is a maternal transcription factor essential for normal progression of meiosis.
authors.affiliation: UPS, Centre de Biologie du Développement-UMR5547, 4R3B3, Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Aïcha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Metchat
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akerfelt
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bierkamp
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delsinne
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sistonen
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.forename: Elisabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Christians
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; C490017:Hsf1 protein, mouse; C107835:Hspca protein, mouse; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014157:Transcription Factors