scholarly journals Evolution of CDK1 paralog specializations in a lineage with fast developing planktonic embryos

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofei Ma ◽  
Jan Inge Øvrebø ◽  
Eric M Thompson

AbstractThe active site of the essential, eukaryotic CDK1 kinase is generated by core structural elements, among which the PSTAIRE motif in the critical αC-helix, is universally conserved in metazoans. The CDK2 kinase, sharing the PSTAIRE, arose early in metazoan evolution and permitted subdivision of tasks along the S-M-phase axis. The marine chordate, Oikopleura dioica, is the only metazoan known to possess more than a single CDK1 ortholog, and all of its 5 paralogs show sequence divergences in the PSTAIRE. Through assessing CDK1 gene duplications in the appendicularian lineage, we show that the CDK1 activation loop substrate binding platform, ATP entrance site, hinge region, and main Cyclin binding interface, have all diversified under positive selection. Three of the 5 CDK1 paralogs are required for embryonic divisions and knockdown phenotypes illustrate further subdivision of functions along the S-M-phase axis. In parallel to CDK1 gene duplications, there has also been amplification in the Cyclin B complement. Among these, the CDK1d:Cyclin Ba pairing is required for oogenic meiosis and early embryogenesis and shows evidence of coevolution of an exclusive interaction. In an intriguing twist on the general rule that Cyclin B oscillations on a background of stable CDK1 levels regulate M-phase MPF activity, it is CDK1d protein levels that oscillate, rather than Cyclin Ba levels, to drive rapid, early embryonic cell cycles. Strikingly, the modified PSTAIRE of odCDK1d shows convergence over great evolutionary distance with plant CDKB, and in both O. dioica, and plants, these variants exhibit increased specialization to M-phase.

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
Alessio Malacrida ◽  
Guido Cavaletti ◽  
Mariarosaria Miloso

Rigosertib is multi-kinase inhibitor that could represent an interesting therapeutic option for non-resectable patients with cholangiocarcinoma, a very aggressive hepatic cancer with limited effective treatments. The Western blotting technique was used to evaluate alterations in the expression of proteins involved in the regulation of the cell cycle of cholangiocarcinoma EGI-1 cells. Our results show an increase in EMI1 and Cyclin B protein levels after Rigosertib treatment. Moreover, the phosphorylation of CDK1 is significantly reduced by Rigosertib, while PLK1 expression increased after 24 h of treatment and decreased after 48 h. Finally, we evaluated the role of p53. Its levels increase after Rig treatment, and, as shown in the cell viability experiment with the p53 inhibitor Pifithrin, its activity is necessary for the effects of Rigosertib against the cell viability of EGI-1 cells. In conclusion, we hypothesized the mechanism of the action of Rigosertib against cholangiocarcinoma EGI-1 cells, highlighting the importance of proteins involved in the regulation of cell cycles. The CDK1-Cyclin B complex and p53 play an important role, explaining the Block in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and the effect on cell viability


1997 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tin Tin Su ◽  
Patrick H. O'Farrell

Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins are essential DNA replication factors conserved among eukaryotes. MCMs cycle between chromatin bound and dissociated states during each cell cycle. Their absence on chromatin is thought to contribute to the inability of a G2 nucleus to replicate DNA. Passage through mitosis restores the ability of MCMs to bind chromatin and the ability to replicate DNA. In Drosophila early embryonic cell cycles, which lack a G1 phase, MCMs reassociate with condensed chromosomes toward the end of mitosis. To explore the coupling between mitosis and MCM–chromatin interaction, we tested whether this reassociation requires mitotic degradation of cyclins. Arrest of mitosis by induced expression of nondegradable forms of cyclins A and/or B showed that reassociation of MCMs to chromatin requires cyclin A destruction but not cyclin B destruction. In contrast to the earlier mitoses, mitosis 16 (M16) is followed by G1, and MCMs do not reassociate with chromatin at the end of M16. dacapo mutant embryos lack an inhibitor of cyclin E, do not enter G1 quiescence after M16, and show mitotic reassociation of MCM proteins. We propose that cyclin E, inhibited by Dacapo in M16, promotes chromosome binding of MCMs. We suggest that cyclins have both positive and negative roles in controlling MCM–chromatin association.


1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 707-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Hunt ◽  
F C Luca ◽  
J V Ruderman

Fertilization of clam oocytes initiates a series of cell divisions, of which the first three--meiosis I, meiosis II, and the first mitotic division--are highly synchronous. After fertilization, protein synthesis is required for the successful completion of every division except meiosis I. When protein synthesis is inhibited, entry into meiosis I and the maintenance of M phase for the normal duration of meiosis occur normally, but the chromosomes fail to interact correctly with the spindle in meiosis II metaphase. By contrast, inhibition of protein synthesis immediately after completion of meiosis or mitosis stops cells entering the next mitosis. We describe the behavior of cyclins A and B in relation to these "points of no return." The cyclins are synthesized continuously and are rapidly destroyed shortly before the metaphase-anaphase transition of the mitotic cell cycles, with cyclin A being degraded in advance of cyclin B. Cyclin destruction normally occurs during a 5-min window in mitosis, but in the monopolar mitosis that occurs after parthenogenetic activation of clam oocytes, or when colchicine is added to fertilized eggs about to enter first mitosis, the destruction of cyclin B is strongly delayed, whereas proteolysis of cyclin A is maintained in an activated state for the duration of metaphase arrest. Under either of these abnormal conditions, inhibition of protein synthesis causes a premature return to interphase that correlates with the time when cyclin B disappears.


1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 687-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
D H Walker ◽  
A A DePaoli-Roach ◽  
J L Maller

Using cytostatic factor metaphase II-arrested extracts as a model system, we show that protein phosphatase 1 is regulated during early embryonic cell cycles in Xenopus. Phosphatase 1 activity peaks during interphase and decreases shortly before the onset of mitosis. A second peak of activity appears in mitosis at about the same time that cdc2 becomes active. If extracts are inhibited in S-phase with aphidicolin, then phosphatase 1 activity remains high. The activity of phosphatase 1 appears to determine the timing of exit from S-phase and entry into M-phase; inhibition of phosphatase 1 by the specific inhibitor, inhibitor 2 (Inh-2), causes premature entry into mitosis, whereas exogenously added phosphatase 1 lengthens the interphase period. Analysis of DNA synthesis in extracts treated with Inh-2, but lacking the A- and B-type cyclins, shows that phosphatase 1 is also required for the process of DNA replication. These data indicate that phosphatase 1 is a component of the signaling pathway that ensures that M-phase is not initiated until DNA synthesis is complete.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (14) ◽  
pp. 6467-6475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Le Cam ◽  
Matthieu Lacroix ◽  
Maria A. Ciemerych ◽  
Claude Sardet ◽  
Piotr Sicinski

ABSTRACT The ubiquitously expressed E4F protein was originally identified as an E1A-regulated cellular transcription factor required for adenovirus replication. The function of this protein in normal cell physiology remains largely unknown. To address this issue, we generated E4F knockout mice by gene targeting. Embryos lacking E4F die at the peri-implantation stage, while in vitro-cultured E4F−/− blastocysts exhibit defects in mitotic progression, chromosomal missegregation, and increased apoptosis. Consistent with these observations, we found that E4F localizes to the mitotic spindle during the M phase of early embryos. Our results establish a crucial role for E4F during early embryonic cell cycles and reveal an unexpected function for E4F in mitosis.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 4003-4014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. A. Hutchins ◽  
Dina Dikovskaya ◽  
Paul R. Clarke

Activation of Cdc2/cyclin B kinase and entry into mitosis requires dephosphorylation of inhibitory sites on Cdc2 by Cdc25 phosphatase. In vertebrates, Cdc25C is inhibited by phosphorylation at a single site targeted by the checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Cds1/Chk2 in response to DNA damage or replication arrest. In Xenopus early embryos, the inhibitory site on Cdc25C (S287) is also phosphorylated by a distinct protein kinase that may determine the intrinsic timing of the cell cycle. We show that S287-kinase activity is repressed in extracts of unfertilized Xenopus eggs arrested in M phase but is rapidly stimulated upon release into interphase by addition of Ca2+, which mimics fertilization. S287-kinase activity is not dependent on cyclin B degradation or inactivation of Cdc2/cyclin B kinase, indicating a direct mechanism of activation by Ca2+. Indeed, inhibitor studies identify the predominant S287-kinase as Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). CaMKII phosphorylates Cdc25C efficiently on S287 in vitro and, like Chk1, is inhibited by 7-hydroxystaurosporine (UCN-01) and debromohymenialdisine, compounds that abrogate G2 arrest in somatic cells. CaMKII delays Cdc2/cyclin B activation via phosphorylation of Cdc25C at S287 in egg extracts, indicating that this pathway regulates the timing of mitosis during the early embryonic cell cycle.


1999 ◽  
Vol 354 (1389) ◽  
pp. 1571-1576 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hershko

The degradation of the cyclin B subunit of protein kinase Cdk1/cyclin B is required for inactivation of the kinase and exit from mitosis. Cyclin B is degraded by the ubiquitin pathway, a system involved in most selective protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. In this pathway, proteins are targeted for degradation by ligation to ubiquitin, a process carried out by the sequential action of three enzymes: the ubiquitin–activating enzyme E1, a ubiquitin–carrier protein E2 and a ubiquitin–protein ligase E3. In the system responsible for cyclin B degradation, the E3–like function is carried out by a large complex called cyclosome or anaphase–promoting complex (APC). In the early embryonic cell cycles, the cyclosome is inactive in the interphase, but becomes active at the end of mitosis. Activation requires phosphorylation of the cyclosome/APC by protein kinase Cdk1/cyclin B. The lag kinetics of cyclosome activation may be explained by Suc1–assisted multiple phosphorylations of partly phosphorylated complex. The presence of a Fizzy/Cdc20–like protein is necessary for maximal activity of the mitotic form of cyclosome/APC in cyclin–ubiquitin ligation.


1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Sudakin ◽  
D Ganoth ◽  
A Dahan ◽  
H Heller ◽  
J Hershko ◽  
...  

The ubiquitin-mediated degradation of mitotic cyclins is required for cells to exit from mitosis. Previous work with cell-free systems has revealed four components required for cyclin-ubiquitin ligation and proteolysis: a nonspecific ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, a soluble fraction containing a ubiquitin carrier protein activity called E2-C, a crude particulate fraction containing a ubiquitin ligase (E3) activity that is activated during M-phase, and a constitutively active 26S proteasome that degrades ubiquitinated proteins. Here, we identify a novel approximately 1500-kDa complex, termed the cyclosome, which contains a cyclin-selective ubiquitin ligase activity, E3-C. E3-C is present but inactive during interphase; it can be activated in vitro by the addition of cdc2, enabling the transfer of ubiquitin from E2-C to cyclin. The kinetics of E3-C activation suggest the existence of one or more intermediates between cdc2 and E3-C. Cyclosome-associated E3-C acts on both cyclin A and B, and requires the presence of wild-type N-terminal destruction box motifs in each cyclin. Ubiquitinated cyclins are then rapidly recognized and degraded by the proteasome. These results identify the cyclosome-associated E3-C as the component of the cyclin destruction machinery whose activity is ultimately regulated by cdc2 and, as such, the element directly responsible for setting mitotic cyclin levels during early embryonic cell cycles.


1989 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 1431-1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Westendorf ◽  
K I Swenson ◽  
J V Ruderman

In clams, fertilization is followed by the prominent synthesis of two cyclins, A and B. During the mitotic cell cycles, the two cyclins are accumulated and then destroyed near the end of each metaphase. Newly synthesized cyclin B is complexed with a small set of other proteins, including a kinase that phosphorylates cyclin B in vitro. While both cyclins can act as general inducers of entry into M phase, the two are clearly distinguished by their amino acid sequences (70% nonidentity) and by their different modes of expression in oocytes and during meiosis. In contrast to cyclin A, which is stored solely as maternal mRNA, oocytes contain a stockpile of cyclin B protein, which is stored in large, rapidly sedimenting aggregates. Fertilization results in the release of cyclin B to a more disperse, soluble form. Since the first meiotic division in clams can proceed even when new protein synthesis is blocked, these results strongly suggest it is the fertilization-triggered unmasking of cyclin B protein that drives cells into meiosis I. We propose that the unmasking of maternal cyclin B protein allows it to interact with cdc2 protein kinase, which is also stored in oocytes, and that the formation of this cyclin B/cdc2 complex generates active M phase-promoting factor.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (18) ◽  
pp. 3397-3406
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Gotoh ◽  
Keita Ohsumi ◽  
Tomoko Matsui ◽  
Haruhiko Takisawa ◽  
Takeo Kishimoto

Checkpoint controls ensure chromosomal integrity through the cell cycle. Chk1 and Cds1/Chk2 are effector kinases in the G2-phase checkpoint activated by damaged or unreplicated DNA, and they prevent entry into M-phase through inhibition of cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase activation. However, little is known about how the effector kinases are regulated when the checkpoint is attenuated. Recent studies indicate that Chk1 is also involved in the physiological G2-phase arrest of immature Xenopus oocytes via direct phosphorylation and inhibition of Cdc25C, the activator of cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase. Bearing in mind the overlapping functions of Chk1 and Cds1, here we have studied the involvement of Xenopus Cds1 (XCds1) in the G2/M-phase transition of immature oocytes and the regulation of its activity during this period. Protein levels of XCds1 remained constant throughout oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. The levels of XCds1 kinase activity were high in immature oocytes and decreased at the meiotic G2/M-phase transition. Consistently, when overexpressed in immature oocytes, wild-type, but not kinase-deficient, XCds1 significantly delayed entry into M-phase after progesterone treatment. The inactivation of XCds1 depended on the activation of cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase, but not MAP kinase. Although XCds1 was not directly inactivated by cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase in vitro, XCds1 was inactivated by overexpression of cyclin B, which induces the activation of cyclin B-Cdc2 kinase without progesterone. Thus, the present study is the first indication of Cds1 activity in cells that are physiologically arrested at G2-phase, and of its downregulation at entry into M-phase.


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