title: A primer on meiotic resumption in starfish oocytes: the proposed signaling pathway triggered by maturation-inducing hormone.
abstract: This short review updates the maturation-inducing hormonal signaling in starfish oocytes. In this system, the activation of cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase (Cdk1) that leads to meiotic resumption does not require new protein synthesis. The key intracellular mediator after hormonal stimulation by 1-methyladenine is the protein kinase Akt/PKB, which in turn directly downregulates Myt1 and upregulates Cdc25 toward the activation of cyclin B-Cdc2. Mitotic kinases including Aurora, Plk1 and Greatwall are activated downstream of cyclin B-Cdc2. The starfish oocyte thus provides a simple model system for the study of meiotic resumption.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta, Midoriku, Yokohama, Japan. tkishimo@bio.titech.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D019926:Cyclin B / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology; D016200:Maturation-Promoting Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008540:Meiosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013215:Starfish / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019926:Cyclin B; D006728:Hormones; D016203:CDC2 Protein Kinase; D016200:Maturation-Promoting Factor