cdc-25.2, a C. elegans ortholog of cdc25, is required to promote oocyte maturation.
Cdc25 is an evolutionarily conserved protein phosphatase that promotes progression through the cell cycle. Some metazoans have multiple isoforms of Cdc25, which have distinct functions and different expression patterns during development. C. elegans has four cdc-25 genes. cdc-25.1 is required for germline mitotic proliferation. To determine if the other members of the cdc-25 family also contribute to regulation of cell division in the germ line, we examined phenotypes of loss-of-function mutants of the other cdc-25 family genes. We found that cdc-25.2 is also essential for germline development. cdc-25.2 homozygous mutant hermaphrodites exhibited sterility as a result of defects in oogenesis: mutant oocytes were arrested as endomitotic oocytes that were not fertilized successfully. Spermatogenesis and male germline development were not affected. Through genetic interaction studies, we found that CDC-25.2 functions upstream of maturation-promoting factor containing CDK-1 and CYB-3 to promote oocyte maturation by counteracting function of WEE-1.3. We propose that cdc-25 family members function as distinct but related cell cycle regulators to control diverse cell cycles in C. elegans germline development.
Kim
Jiyoung
J
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Bio/Molecular Informatics Center, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea.
Kawasaki
Ichiro
I
Shim
Yhong-Hee
YH
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D045163:Antibodies, Phospho-Specific / Q000276:immunology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D049751:Genome, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016200:Maturation-Promoting Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D020687:cdc25 Phosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D045163:Antibodies, Phospho-Specific; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D006657:Histones; D016200:Maturation-Promoting Factor; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; C550003:cdc-25.2 protein, C elegans; D020687:cdc25 Phosphatases