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Address correspondence to Khaled Machaca, Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St., Slot 505, Little Rock, AR 72205. Tel.: (501) 603-1596. Fax: (501) 686-8167. email: kamachaca{at}uams.edu
Ca2+ is a ubiquitous intracellular messenger that is important for cell cycle progression. Genetic and biochemical evidence support a role for Ca2+ in mitosis. In contrast, there has been a long-standing debate as to whether Ca2+ signals are required for oocyte meiosis. Here, we show that cytoplasmic Ca2+ (Ca2+cyt) plays a dual role during Xenopus oocyte maturation. Ca2+ signals are dispensable for meiosis entry (germinal vesicle breakdown and chromosome condensation), but are required for the completion of meiosis I. Interestingly, in the absence of Ca2+cyt signals oocytes enter meiosis more rapidly due to faster activation of the MAPK-maturation promoting factor (MPF) kinase cascade. This Ca2+-dependent negative regulation of the cell cycle machinery (MAPK-MPF cascade) is due to Ca2+cyt acting downstream of protein kinase A but upstream of Mos (a MAPK kinase kinase). Therefore, high Ca2+cyt delays meiosis entry by negatively regulating the initiation of the MAPK-MPF cascade. These results show that Ca2+ modulates both the cell cycle machinery and nuclear maturation during meiosis.
Key Words: calcium; meiosis; cell cycle; meiotic maturation; Xenopus
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