title: Localization and function of the Ska complex during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.
abstract: The Ska (spindle and kinetochore-associated) complex is composed of three proteins: Ska1, Ska2 and Ska3. It is required for stabilizing kinetochore-microtubule (KT-MT) interactions and silencing spindle checkpoint during mitosis. However, its roles in meiosis remain unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the localization and function of the Ska complex during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. Our results showed that the localization and function of Ska complex in mouse oocyte meiosis differ in part from those in mitosis. Injection of low dose exogenous Myc-Ska mRNA showed that, instead of localizing to the kinetochores (KTs) and mediating KT-MT interactions from pro-metaphase to mid-anaphase stages as in mitosis, the members of the Ska complex were only localized on spindle microtubules from the Pro-MI to MII stages in mouse oocyte meiosis. Time-lapse live imaging analysis showed that knockdown of any member of the Ska complex by Morpholino injection into mouse oocytes resulted in spindle movement defects and enlarged polar bodies. Depletion of the whole Ska complex disrupted the stability of the anaphase spindle and influenced the extrusion of the first polar body. Taken together, these results show that the Ska complex plays an important role in meiotic spindle migration and anaphase spindle stability during mouse oocyte maturation.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shu-Tao
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Zhen-Bo
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cai-Rong
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yan-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ying-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Heide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schatten
authors.forename: Qing-Yuan
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000705:Anaphase; D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018386:Kinetochores / Q000378:metabolism; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D060172:Morpholinos / Q000494:pharmacology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009866:Oogenesis; D059705:Polar Bodies / Q000502:physiology; D049468:Prometaphase; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D060172:Morpholinos; C577106:Ska1 protein, mouse; C577107:Ska2 protein, mouse; C577108:Ska3 protein, mouse