title: Dephosphorylation of eIF2α is essential for protein synthesis increase and cell cycle progression after sea urchin fertilization.
abstract: The eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2 (eIF2) is a key regulator of protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells, implicated in the initiation step of translation. Fertilization of the sea urchin eggs triggers a rapid increase in protein synthesis activity, which is necessary for the progress into embryonic cell cycles. Here we demonstrate that fertilization triggers eIF2α dephosphorylation, concomitant with an increase in protein synthesis and that induction of the eIF2α phosphorylation is intimately linked with an inhibition of protein synthesis and cell cycle arrest. Using a phospho-mimetic protein microinjected into sea urchin eggs, we showed that dephosphorylation of eIF2α is necessary for protein synthesis activity and cell division progression following fertilization. Our results demonstrate that regulation of eIF2α plays an important role in the protein synthesis rise that occurs during early development following fertilization.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR7150 Equipe Traduction Cycle Cellulaire et Développement, Station Biologique 29680 Roscoff, France.
authors.forename: Vlad
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Costache
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bilotto
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laguerre
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellé
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cosson
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cormier
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2