Activation of p34cdc2 protein kinase activity in meiotic and mitotic cell cycles in mouse oocytes and embryos

Abstract

p34cdc2 protein kinase is a universal regulator of M-phase in eukaryotic cell cycle. To investigate the regulation of meiotic and mitotic cell cycle in mammals, we examined the changes in phosphorylation states of p34cdc2 and its histone Hl kinase activity in mouse oocytes and embryos. We showed that p34cde2 has three different migrating bands (referred to as upper, middle and lower bands) on SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting with anti- PSTAIR antibody, and that the upper and middle bands are phosphorylated forms since these two bands shifted to the lower one by alkaline phosphatase treatment. In meiotic cell cycle, only germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes had the three forms. The phosphorylated forms decreased gradually in oocytes up to 2 h after isolation from follicles, and thereafter the phosphorylation states did not change significantly until metaphase H. How ever, the histone Hl kinase activity oscillated, being activated at the first and second metaphase in meiosis and inactivated at the time of the first polar body extrusion. These results suggest that changes in phosphorylation states of p34cd” triggered its activation at the first metaphase, but not inactivation and reactivation at the first and second metaphase, respectively. In mitotic cell cycle, phosphorylated forms appeared at 4h after insemination, increased greatly just before metaphase, and were dephosphorylated in metaphase. Histone Hl kinase activity was high only at metaphase. This kinase activation is probably triggered by déphosphorylation of p34cdc2.