Article
Developmental Biology
Mansour Aboelenain, Karen Schindler
Summary: This study demonstrates that AURKB negatively regulates CPEB1-dependent translation through modulation of AURKA activity, which is crucial for generating euploid eggs.
Article
Cell Biology
Xiao-Long Mo, Feng Liu, Chun-Hua Xing, Meng-Meng Shan, Bo Yao, Qi-Qi Sun, Yuan-Jing Zou, Kun-Huan Zhang, Jun Tan, Shao-Chen Sun, Yan-Ping Ren
Summary: The protein kinase PLK1 is found to be modified by SUMOylation in mouse oocytes, playing a crucial role in regulating normal meiosis. The expression of PLK1 increased and the expression of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 decreased in aged mouse oocytes, suggesting a potential relationship between PLK1 SUMOylation and aging in mice.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stephen R. Wellard, Yujiao Zhang, Chris Shults, Xueqi Zhao, Matthew McKay, Stephen A. Murray, Philip W. Jordan
Summary: The study highlights the critical role of centriole duplication, centrosome maturation, and separation in establishing bipolar spindles during meiotic divisions. The findings show that Polo-like kinase 1 and Aurora A kinase are essential for centrosome maturation and separation, and PLK1 is required to inhibit the second round of centriole duplication until late anaphase I to ensure accurate chromosome segregation during spermatogenesis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher Thomas, Benjamin Wetherall, Mark D. Levasseur, Rebecca J. Harris, Scott T. Kerridge, Jonathan M. G. Higgins, Owen R. Davies, Suzanne Madgwick
Summary: The study reveals an excess of securin over separase in mouse oocytes during meiosis I, with a mechanism promoting securin destruction in prometaphase I. This destruction mechanism relies on specific residues within securin that are exposed when not bound to separase. The authors suggest that this mechanism is crucial for successful meiotic progression in mouse oocytes by ensuring the removal of non-separase-bound securin before metaphase.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Lu Yao Zhang, Meng Lin, Zhuan Qingrui, Wang Zichuan, Li Junjin, Liu Kexiong, Fu Xiangwei, Hou Yunpeng
Summary: The alteration of bioenergetics by oocytes in response to various biological processes is crucial for normal cellular physiology. This study demonstrates the connection between cell cycle-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ and meiosis progression, and highlights the protective role of MCU-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling in meiotic progress. Moreover, it reveals a new mechanism of mitochondrial energy regulation by AMPK signaling that influences meiotic maturation.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Hongdao Zhang, Fengjuan Zhang, Qinghua Chen, Mingzhe Li, Xiaolong Lv, Yali Xiao, Zhaozhen Zhang, Li Hou, Yana Lai, Ying Zhang, Aihua Zhang, Shiqi Gao, Heling Fu, Wen Xiao, Jianli Zhou, Feiyang Diao, Aimin Shi, You-Qiang Su, Wentao Zeng, Ligang Wu, Jianmin Li
Summary: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are crucial for germ cell development in golden hamsters, with defects leading to disrupted reproductive function and embryonic arrest. The findings highlight the essential role of piRNAs in mammalian oogenesis and the potential for using golden hamsters as a model species for piRNA studies.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Juan Zeng, Shiwei Wang, Min Gao, Dian Lu, Shuang Song, Diyu Chen, Weimin Fan, Zhiliang Xu, Zhiguo Zhang, Xiaofang Sun
Summary: As a highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed kinase, PAK2 plays important roles in meiotic progression and chromosome alignment in mouse oocytes. Depletion of PAK2 leads to metaphase I arrest and meiotic chromosome alignment defects, partly due to the reduction of PLK1. The interaction between PAK2 and PLK1 protects PLK1 from degradation and promotes meiotic progression and bipolar spindle formation.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Edgar del Llano, Rajan Iyyappan, Daria Aleshkina, Tomas Masek, Michal Dvoran, Zongliang Jiang, Martin Pospisek, Michal Kubelka, Andrej Susor
Summary: In mammalian females, the maturation and development of oocytes are regulated by various factors, including the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) complex and serum-glucocorticoid kinase proteins (SGK1). This study demonstrates that SGK1 is expressed in mouse oocytes and its activation promotes CDK1 activation, leading to the development and maturation of oocytes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dalileh Nabi, Hauke Drechsler, Johannes Pschirer, Franz Korn, Nadine Schuler, Stefan Diez, Rolf Jessberger, Mariola Chacon
Summary: Chromosome segregation is crucial for preventing aneuploidy in mammalian oocytes, but it becomes less efficient with age. The protein CENP-V plays a significant role in oocyte spindle formation and chromosome segregation, with Cenp-V-/- oocytes showing age-related weakening of the spindle assembly checkpoint.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yuan-Jing Zou, Meng-Meng Shan, Hong-Hui Wang, Zhen-Nan Pan, Meng-Hao Pan, Yi Xu, Jia-Qian Ju, Shao-Chen Sun
Summary: Our study investigated the roles of RAB14 during oocyte meiotic maturation, showing that depletion of RAB14 caused large polar bodies and defects in spindle migration. The regulation on actin-based spindle migration and Golgi apparatus distribution by RAB14 during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation was suggested by our results.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiyeon Leem, Jeong Su Oh
Summary: In this study, researchers discovered that MDC1 plays a non-canonical role in controlling G2/M transition in mouse oocytes by regulating APC/C-Cdh1-mediated cyclin B1 degradation in response to DNA damage. They also found that MDC1 depletion impairs spindle assembly by decreasing the integrity of microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs). These findings provide new insights into the regulation of the G2/M DNA damage checkpoint and cell cycle control in oocytes.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Jie Zhang, Hong-Jie Yuan, Jiang Zhu, Shuai Gong, Ming-Jiu Luo, Jing-He Tan
Summary: Topoisomerase II dysfunction impairs chromatin condensation and chromosome alignment, activates Aurora B, and leads to MI arrest and PB1 abscission failure.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Fernando Sanchez-Saez, Raquel Sainz-Urruela, Natalia Felipe-Medina, Yazmine B. Condezo, Manuel Sanchez-Martin, Elena Llano, Alberto M. Pendas
Summary: This study provides in vivo evidence that H1FOO is dispensable for mouse fertility, clarifying the debate surrounding its essentiality in meiosis.
Article
Oncology
Justin F. Bejar, Zachary DiSanza, Suzanne M. Quartuccio
Summary: Overexpression of AURKC in cancer cells may play an oncogenic role, and targeting it could potentially reduce cancer cell migration and disease progression. Experimental results show that cancer cells lacking AURKC have no change in cell proliferation, but exhibit decreased migration and colony formation in soft agar.
EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yan-Zhe Zhang, Qian-Han Zhao, Hong-Wei Duan, Yuan-Jing Zou, Shao-Chen Sun, Lin-Lin Hu
Summary: Our study found that exposure to AFB1 had toxic effects on the distribution of mouse oocyte organelles, leading to a decline in oocyte quality.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Katarzyna M. Tyc, Anthony Wong, Richard T. Scott, Xin Tao, Karen Schindler, Jinchuan Xing
Summary: The study suggests that mutations in miRNA genes and binding sites may impact embryonic development and pregnancy outcomes, particularly during the maternal-to-zygotic transition. These variants are enriched in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization procedures and could potentially serve as biomarkers for screening IVF patients.
LABORATORY INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Jakub Cervenka, Jirina Tyleckova, Helena Kupcova Skalnikova, Katerina Vodickova Kepkova, Ievgeniia Poliakh, Ivona Valekova, Lucie Pfeiferova, Michal Kolar, Michaela Vaskovicova, Tereza Pankova, Petr Vodicka
Summary: Cell therapies offer hope in treating neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries by promoting functional neural circuit reconstruction and slowing disease progression. Comprehensive characterization of cells before transplantation is crucial for safety, as it can prevent risks such as tumorous growth due to undifferentiated cell proliferation.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lena Wartosch, Karen Schindler, Melina Schuh, Jennifer R. Gruhn, Eva R. Hoffmann, Rajiv C. McCoy, Jinchuan Xing
Summary: The gain or loss of a chromosome, known as aneuploidy, is a major trigger for infertility and pregnancy loss in humans. Recent studies using genomics, cytogenetics, and in silico modeling have shed new light on the potential genetic and cellular factors associated with aneuploidy at different stages of development in human oocytes and embryos.
PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Priti Singh, Robert Fragoza, Cecilia S. Blengini, Tina N. Tran, Gianno Pannafino, Najla Al-Sweel, Kerry J. Schimenti, Karen Schindler, Eric A. Alani, Haiyuan Yu, John C. Schimenti
Summary: Proper meiotic chromosome segregation relies on mismatch repair genes MLH1 and MLH3, whose variants can lead to reproductive defects in mice. This study identified seven alleles causing reproductive abnormalities, such as decreased litter size and increased embryo resorption, particularly in females. The data suggests that hypomorphic alleles of meiotic recombination genes can predispose females to increased pregnancy loss from gamete aneuploidy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ivana Ferencova, Michaela Vaskovicova, David Drutovic, Lucie Knoblochova, Libor Macurek, Richard M. Schultz, Petr Solc
Summary: CDC25B plays a critical role in driving the activation of CDK1 during meiosis, and its absence leads to infertility in mice. Following meiotic resumption, CDC25B is also important for driving the continuation of meiosis.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Caroline Kratka, David Drutovic, Cecilia S. Blengini, Karen Schindler
Summary: This study reveals the importance of a specific kinase family in the process of miscarriage, as it regulates chromosome segregation and affects meiotic progression. The use of an inhibitor leads to defects in meiosis and spindle building, further emphasizing the significance of this kinase in reproductive health.
BMC RESEARCH NOTES
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Cecilia S. Blengini, Gyu Ik Jung, Mansour Aboelenain, Karen Schindler
Summary: This study evaluates the specificity of several small molecule inhibitors targeting Aurora kinase proteins in mouse oocytes. The results demonstrate that MLN 8237 specifically acts on Aurora kinase A and AZD 1152 specifically acts on Aurora kinase C, but only at low concentrations.
Article
Cell Biology
Gisela Cairo, Cora Greiwe, Gyu Ik Jung, Cecilia Blengini, Karen Schindler, Soni Lacefield
Summary: Proper chromosome segregation relies on kinetochore-microtubule attachments, which are established by Aurora B and C kinase-mediated phosphorylation of kinetochore proteins. Multiple pathways recruit Aurora B/C to the centromere and kinetochore. This study investigates the contributions of these pathways to anaphase onset timing and error correction in yeast meiosis and mitosis. The findings suggest that each pathway localizes distinct pools of Aurora B/C kinase, which function differently between meiosis and mitosis.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lucie Knoblochova, Tomas Duricek, Michaela Vaskovicova, Chrysoula Zorzompokou, Diana Rayova, Ivana Ferencova, Vladimir Baran, Richard M. Schultz, Eva R. Hoffmann, David Drutovic
Summary: Checkpoint kinase CHK1 regulates cell cycle progression in early mouse embryos by restraining CDK1 kinase activity through CDC25A phosphatase degradation. It also ensures the long G2 phase needed for genome activation and reprogramming gene expression in two-cell stage mouse embryos. Depletion of CHK1 leads to DNA damage and chromosome segregation errors, resulting in aneuploidy and infertility.