Induction of Metaphase Arrest in Cleaving Xenopus Embryos by the Protein Kinase p90 Rsk

Before fertilization, vertebrate eggs are arrested in metaphase of meiosis II by cytostatic factor (CSF), an activity that requires activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. To investigate whether CSF arrest is mediated by the protein kinase p90 Rsk , which is phosphorylated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1999-11, Vol.286 (5443), p.1365-1367
Main Authors: Gross, Stefan D., Schwab, Markus S., Lewellyn, Andrea L., Maller, James L.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Before fertilization, vertebrate eggs are arrested in metaphase of meiosis II by cytostatic factor (CSF), an activity that requires activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. To investigate whether CSF arrest is mediated by the protein kinase p90 Rsk , which is phosphorylated and activated by MAPK, a constitutively activated (CA) form of Rsk was expressed in Xenopus embryos. Expression of CA Rsk resulted in cleavage arrest, and cytological analysis showed that arrested blastomeres were in M phase with prominent spindles characteristic of meiotic metaphase. Thus, Rsk appears to be the mediator of MAPK-dependent CSF arrest in vertebrate unfertilized eggs.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.286.5443.1365