Greatwall kinase and cyclin B-Cdk1 are both critical constituents of M-phase-promoting factor

Masatoshi Hara, Yusuke Abe, Toshiaki Tanaka, Takayoshi Yamamoto, Eiichi Okumura and Takeo Kishimoto ()
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Masatoshi Hara: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Yusuke Abe: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Toshiaki Tanaka: Laboratory of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Takayoshi Yamamoto: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Eiichi Okumura: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Takeo Kishimoto: Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Bioscience, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Maturation/M-phase-promoting factor is the universal inducer of M-phase in eukaryotic cells. It is currently accepted that M-phase-promoting factor is identical to the kinase cyclin B–Cdk1. Here we show that cyclin B–Cdk1 and M-phase-promoting factor are not in fact synonymous. Instead, M-phase-promoting factor contains at least two essential components: cyclin B–Cdk1 and another kinase, Greatwall kinase. In the absence of Greatwall kinase, the M-phase-promoting factor is undetectable in oocyte cytoplasm even though cyclin B–Cdk1 is fully active, whereas M-phase-promoting factor activity is restored when Greatwall kinase is added back. Although the excess amount of cyclin B–Cdk1 alone, but not Greatwall kinase alone, can induce nuclear envelope breakdown, spindle assembly is abortive. Addition of Greatwall kinase greatly reduces the amount of cyclin B–Cdk1 required for nuclear envelope breakdown, resulting in formation of the spindle with aligned chromosomes. M-phase-promoting factor is thus a system consisting of one kinase (cyclin B–Cdk1) that directs mitotic entry and a second kinase (Greatwall kinase) that suppresses the protein phosphatase 2A-B55 which opposes cyclin B–Cdk1.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2062

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