Involvement of the p110α isoform of PI3K in early development of mouse embryos

• Published in: Molecular reproduction and development 2009-04, Vol.76 (4), p.389-398
• Main Authors: Xu, Xiao-yan, Zhang, Zhe, Su, Wen-hui, Zhang, Yang, Feng, Chen, Zhao, Hong-mei, Zong, Zhi-hong, Cui, Cheng, Yu, Bing-zhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Cycle - physiology; Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Embryo, Mammalian - enzymology; Embryo, Mammalian - physiology; Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Isoenzymes - genetics; Isoenzymes - metabolism; Mice; Molecular embryology; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - genetics; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Pregnancy; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; RNA Interference
• ISSN: 1040-452X; 1098-2795
• DOI: 10.1002/mrd.20978

Class I of phosphoinositide 3‐kinases (PI3Ks) is characterized as a group of intracellular signal proteins possessing both protein and lipid kinase activities. Recent studies implicate class I of PI3Ks acts as indispensable mediators in early development of mouse embryos, but the molecular mechanisms are poorly defined. In this paper, mouse one‐cell embryos were used to investigate a possible contribution of the catalytic subunit of PI3K, p110α, to cell cycle progression. The expression level of p110α was determined in four phases of one‐cell embryos. Silencing of p110α by microinjection of p110α shRNA into one‐cell embryos resulted in a G2/M arrest and prevented the activation of Akt and M‐phase promoting factor (MPF). Further, microinjection of the synthesized mRNA coding for a constitutively active p110α into one‐cell embryos induced cell cleavage more effectively than microinjection of wild‐type p110α mRNA, whereas microinjection of mRNA of kinase‐deficient p110α delayed the first mitotic cleavage. Taken together, this study demonstrates that p110α is significant for G2/M transition of mouse one‐cell embryos and further emphasizes the importance of Akt in PI3K pathway. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 389–398, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.