Xenopus MAP kinase activator is a serine/threonine/tyrosine kinase activated by threonine phosphorylation.

Xenopus MAP kinase activator, a 45 kDa protein, has been shown to function as a direct upstream factor sufficient for full activation and both tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphorylation of inactive MAP kinase. We have now shown by using an anti-MAP kinase activator antiserum that MAP kinase activator is ubiquitous in tissues and is regulated post-translationally. Activation of MAP kinase activator is correlated precisely with its threonine phosphorylation during the oocyte maturation process. It is a key question whether MAP kinase activator is a kinase or not. We have shown that Xenopus MAP kinase activator purified from mature oocytes is capable of undergoing autophosphorylation on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues. Dephosphorylation of purified activator by protein phosphatase 2A treatment inactivates its autophosphorylation activity as well as its activator activity. Thus, Xenopus MAP kinase activator is a protein kinase with specificity for both serine/threonine and tyrosine. Partial protein sequencing of purified activator indicates that it contains a sequence homologous to kinase subdomains VI and VII of two yeast protein kinases, STE7 and byrl.     

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) activation in Xenopus oocytes: Roles of MPF and protein synthesis

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) is a serine/threonine kinase whose enzymatic activity is thought to play a crucial role in mitogenic signal transduction and also in the progesterone-induced meiotic maturation of Xenopus oocytes. We have purified MAP kinase from Xenopus oocytes and have shown that the protein is present in metaphase ll oocytes under two different forms: an inactive 41-kD protein able to autoactivate and to autophosphorylate in vitro, and an active 42-kD kinase resolved into two tyrosine phosphorylated isoforms on 2D gels. During meiotic maturation, MAP kinase becomes tyrosine phosphorylated and activated following the activation of the M-phase promoting factor (MPF), a complex between the p34^cdc2 kinase and cyclin B. In vivo, MAP kinase activity displays a different stability in metaphase l and in metaphase II: protein synthesis is required to maintain MAP kinase activity in metaphase I but not in metaphase II oocytes. Injection of either MPF or cyclin B into prophase oocytes promotes tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinase, indicating that its activation is a downstream event of MPF activation. In contrast, injection of okadaic acid, which induces in vivo MPF activation, promotes only a very weak tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinase, suggesting that effectors other than MPF are required for the MAP kinase activation. Moreover, in the absence of protein synthesis, cyclin B and MPF are unable to promote in vivo activation of MAP kinase, indicating that this activation requires the synthesis of new protein(s). © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and its activator by ras in intact cells and in a cell-free system.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is a serine/threonine kinase whose function is thought to be essential for the transduction of mitogenic signals. MAP kinase is activated by phosphorylation induced by a variety of extracellular stimuli, and its direct upstream activator has been identified. Using amphibian and mammalian systems, we show here that ras can activate MAP kinase and its activator. Injection of v-Ha-ras p21 into Xenopus immature oocytes activated both MAP kinase and maturation-promoting factor (MPF) activities. The activation of MAP kinase preceded that of MPF, demonstrating that ras activates MAP kinase in an MPF-independent pathway. Moreover, we found that the MAP kinase activator is also activated in ras-injected oocytes. Activation of MAP kinase and its activator occurred also when the v-Ki-ras gene was conditionally induced in rat fibroblastic 3Y1 cells. Furthermore, we observed that ras activated MAP kinase and its activator in a cell-free system prepared from Xenopus oocytes. Using an antibody against the Xenopus 45-kDa MAP kinase activator, we demonstrated that the 45-kDa activator molecule was activated by ras. These findings suggest that the MAP kinase activator/MAP kinase system may be the downstream components of ras signal transduction pathways.     

Xenopus oocytes and the biochemistry of cell division

The control of cell proliferation involves both regulatory events initiated at the plasma membrane that control reentry into the cell cycle and intracellular biochemical changes that direct the process of cell division itself. Both of these aspects of cell growth control can be studied in Xenopus oocytes undergoing meiotic maturation in response to mitogenic stimulation. All mitogenic signaling pathways so far identified lead to the phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 on serine residues, and the biochemistry of this event has been investigated. Insulin and other mitogens activate ribosomal protein S6 kinase II, which has been cloned and sequences in oocytes and other cells. This enzyme is activated by phosphorylation on serine and threonine residues by an insulin-stimulated protein kinase known as MAP-2 kinase. MAP kinase itself is also activated by direct phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues in vivo. These results reconstitute one step of the insulin signaling pathway evident shortly after insulin receptor binding at the membrane. Several hours after mitogenic stimulation, a cell cycle cytoplasmic control element is activated that is sufficient to cause entry into M phase. This control element, known as maturation-promoting factor or MPF, has been purified to near homogeneity and shown to consist of a complex between p34cdc2 protein kinase and cyclin B2. In addition to apparent phosphorylation of cyclin, regulation of MPF activity involves synthesis of the cyclin subunit and its periodic degradation at the metaphase----anaphase transition. The p34cdc2 kinase subunit is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues, being inactive when phosphorylated and active when dephosphorylated. Analysis of phosphorylation sides in histone H1 for p34cdc2 has revealed a consensus sequence of (K/R)S/TP(X)K/R, where the elements in parentheses are present in some but not all sites. Sites with such a consensus are specifically phosphorylated in mitosis and by MPF in the protooncogene pp60c-src. These results provide a link between cell cycle control and cell growth control and suggest that changes in cell adhesion and the cytoskeleton in mitosis may be regulated indirectly by MPF via protooncogene activation. S6 kinase II is also activated upon expression of MPF in cells, indicating that MPF is upstream of S6 kinase on the mitogenic signaling pathway. Further study both of the signaling events that lead to MPF activation and of the substrates for phosphorylation by MPF should lead to a comprehensive understanding of the biochemistry of cell division.     

Purification and characterization of mitogen-activated protein kinase activator(s) from epidermal growth factor-stimulated A431 cells.

Two peaks of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activator activity are resolved upon ion exchange chromatography of cytosolic extracts from epidermal growth factor-stimulated A431 cells. Two forms of the activator (1 and 2) have been purified from these peaks, using chromatography on Q-Sepharose, heparin-agarose, hydroxylapatite, ATP-agarose, Sephacryl S-300, Mono S, and Mono Q. The two preparations each contained one major protein band with an apparent molecular mass of 46 or 45 kDa, respectively, on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Evidence identifying the MAP kinase activators as the 46- and 45-kDa proteins is presented. Using inactive mutants of MAP kinase as potential substrates, it was found that each preparation of MAP kinase activator catalyzes phosphorylation of the regulatory residues, threonine 188 and tyrosine 190, of Xenopus MAP kinase. These results support the concept that the MAP kinase activators are protein kinases. These MAP kinase kinases demonstrate an apparent high degree of specificity toward the native conformation of MAP kinase, although slow autophosphorylation on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues and phosphorylation of myelin basic protein on serine and threonine residues is detected as well.     

A purified S6 kinase kinase from Xenopus eggs activates S6 kinase II and autophosphorylates on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues.

S6 kinases I and II have been purified previously from Xenopus eggs and shown to be activated by phosphorylation on serine and threonine residues. An S6 kinase clone, closely related to S6 kinase II, was subsequently identified and the protein product was expressed in a baculovirus system. Using this protein, termed "rsk" for Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinase, as a substrate, we have purified to homogeneity from unfertilized Xenopus eggs a 41-kDa serine/threonine kinase termed rsk kinase. Both microtubule-associated protein-2 and myelin basic protein are good substrates for rsk kinase, whereas alpha-casein, histone H1, protamine, and phosvitin are not. rsk kinase is inhibited by low concentrations of heparin as well as by beta-glycerophosphate and calcium. Activation of rsk kinase during Xenopus oocyte maturation is correlated with phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues. However, in vitro, rsk kinase undergoes autophosphorylation on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues, identifying it as a "dual specificity" enzyme. Purified rsk kinase can be inactivated in vitro by either a 37-kDa T-cell protein-tyrosine phosphatase or the serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A. Phosphatase-treated S6KII can be reactivated by rsk kinase, and S6 kinase activity in resting oocyte extracts increases significantly when purified rsk kinase is added. The availability of purified rsk kinase will enhance study of the signal transduction pathway(s) regulating phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 in Xenopus oocytes.     

cDNA cloning of MAP kinase kinase reveals kinase cascade pathways in yeasts to vertebrates.

A Xenopus 45 kDa protein has been identified as an immediate upstream factor sufficient for full activation of MAP kinase, and is shown to be capable of undergoing autophosphorylation on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues. In this study, we show that purified 45 kDa protein can phosphorylate a kinase-negative mutant of Xenopus MAP kinase on tyrosine and threonine residues, suggesting that the 45 kDa protein functions as a MAP kinase kinase to activate MAP kinase. We then report the cloning and sequencing of a full-length cDNA encoding this 45 kDa MAP kinase kinase, and show that it is highly homologous to four protein kinases in fission and budding yeasts: byr1, wis1, PBS2 and STE7. These yeast kinases are therefore suggested to function as a direct upstream activator for a presumed MAP kinase homolog in each signal transduction pathway involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression or cellular responses to extracellular signals. Finally, we report bacterial expression of recombinant MAP kinase kinase that can be phosphorylated and activated by Xenopus egg extracts.     

In vivo activation of a microtubule-associated protein kinase during meiotic maturation of the Xenopus oocyte

We have characterized a serine/threonine protein kinase from Xenopus metaphase-II-blocked oocytes, which phosphorylates in vitro the microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). The MAP2 kinase activity, undetectable in prophase oocytes, is activated during the progesterone-induced meiotic maturation (G2-M transition of the cell cycle). p-Nitrophenyl phosphate, a phosphatase inhibitor, is required to prevent spontaneous deactivation of the MAP2 kinase in crude preparations; conversely, the partially purified enzyme can be in vitro deactivated by the low-Mr polycation-stimulated (PCSL) phosphatase (also termed protein phosphatase 2A2), working as a phosphoserine/phosphothreonine-specific phosphatase and not as a phosphotyrosyl phosphatase indicating that phosphorylation of serine/threonine is necessary for its activity. S6 kinase, a protein kinase activated during oocyte maturation which phosphorylates in vitro ribosomal protein S6 and lamin C, can be deactivated in vitro by PCSL phosphatase. S6 kinase from prophase oocytes can also be activated in vitro in fractions known to contain all the factors necessary to convert pre-M-phase-promoting factor (pre-MPF) to MPF. Active MAP2 kinase can activate in vitro the inactive S6 kinase present in prophase oocytes or reactivate S6 kinase previously inactivated in vitro by PCSL phosphatase. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the MAP2 kinase is a link of the meiosis signalling pathway and is activated by a serine/threonine kinase. This will lead to the regulation of further steps in the cell cycle, such as microtubular reorganisation and S6 kinase activation.     

Mos stimulates MAP kinase in Xenopus oocytes and activates a MAP kinase kinase in vitro.

Several protein kinases, including Mos, maturation-promoting factor (MPF), mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, and MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), are activated when Xenopus oocytes enter meiosis. De novo synthesis of the Mos protein is required for progesterone-induced meiotic maturation. Recently, bacterially synthesized maltose-binding protein (MBP)-Mos fusion protein was shown to be sufficient to initiate meiosis I and MPF activation in fully grown oocytes in the absence of protein synthesis. Here we show that MAP kinase is rapidly phosphorylated and activated following injection of wild-type, but not kinase-inactive mutant, MBP-Mos into fully grown oocytes. MAP kinase activation by MBP-Mos occurs within 20 min, much more rapidly than in progesterone-treated oocytes. The MBP-Mos fusion protein also activates MPF, but MPF activation does not occur until approximately 2 h after injection. Extracts from oocytes injected with wild-type but not kinase-inactive MBP-Mos contain an activity that can phosphorylate MAP kinase, suggesting that Mos directly or indirectly activates a MAPKK. Furthermore, activated MBP-Mos fusion protein is able to phosphorylate and activate a purified, phosphatase-treated, rabbit muscle MAPKK in vitro. Thus, in oocytes, Mos is an upstream activator of MAP kinase which may function through direct phosphorylation of MAPKK.     

Mitogen-activated protein kinase activation down-regulates a mechanism that inactivates cyclin B-cdc2 kinase in G2-arrested oocytes.

The G2 arrest of oocytes from frogs, clams, and starfish requires that preformed cyclin B-cdc2 complexes [prematuration-promoting factor (MPF)] be kept in an inactive form that is largely due to inhibitory phosphorylation of this pre-MPF. We have investigated the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in the activation of this pre-MPF. The cytoplasm of both frog and starfish oocytes contains an activity that can rapidly inactivate injected MPF. When the MAP kinase of G2-arrested starfish or Xenopus oocytes was prematurely activated by microinjection of c-mos or Ste-11 delta N fusion proteins, the rate and extent of MPF inactivation was much reduced. Both effects were suppressed by expression of the specific MAP kinase phosphatase Pyst 1. These results show that MAP kinase down-regulates a mechanism that inactivates cyclin B-cdc2 kinase in Xenopus oocytes. In starfish oocytes, however, MAP kinase activation occurs only after germinal vesicle breakdown, much after MPF activation. In this case, down-regulation of the cyclin B-cdc2 inhibiting pathway is a sensitive response to hormonal stimulation that does not require MAP kinase activation.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of homologous protein kinases during oocyte maturation and mitogenic activation of fibroblasts.

Meiotic maturation of Xenopus and sea star oocytes involves the activation of a number of protein-serine/threonine kinase activities, including a myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase. A 44-kDa MBP kinase (p44mpk) purified from mature sea star oocytes is shown here to be phosphorylated at tyrosine. Antiserum to purified sea star p44mpk was used to identify antigenically related proteins in Xenopus oocytes. Two tyrosine-phosphorylated 42-kDa proteins (p42) were detected with this antiserum in Xenopus eggs. Xenopus p42 chromatographs with MBP kinase activity on a Mono Q ion-exchange column. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Xenopus p42 approximately parallels MBP kinase activity during meiotic maturation. These results suggest that related MBP kinases are activated during meiotic maturation of Xenopus and sea star oocytes. Previous studies have suggested that Xenopus p42 is related to the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases of culture mammalian cells. We have cloned a MAP kinase relative from a Xenopus ovary cDNA library and demonstrate that this clone encodes the Xenopus p42 that is tyrosine phosphorylated during oocyte maturation. Comparison of the sequences of Xenopus p42 and a rat MAP kinase (ERK1) and peptide sequences from sea star p44mpk indicates that these proteins are close relatives. The family members appear to be tyrosine phosphorylated, and activated, in different contexts, with the murine MAP kinase active during the transition from quiescence to the G1 stage of the mitotic cell cycle and the sea star and Xenopus kinases being active during M phase of the meiotic cell cycle.     

Requirement for the MAP kinase kinase/MAP kinase cascade in Xenopus oocyte maturation.

MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK) has been identified as a protein factor that can induce phosphorylation and activation of inactive MAP kinase in vitro. In this study, we produced an anti-Xenopus MAPKK antibody that can specifically inhibit Xenopus MAPKK activity in vitro. Microinjection of this antibody into immature oocytes prevented progesterone-induced MAP kinase activation. Moreover, progesterone-induced histone H1 kinase activation and germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) were inhibited in the oocytes injected previously with this antibody. Furthermore, when a bacterially expressed Mos was introduced into immature oocytes, Mos-induced MAP kinase activation and GVBD were blocked in the oocytes injected with the anti-MAPKK antibody. These results show that MAPKK is responsible for the activation of MAP kinase in vivo and that the MAPKK/MAP kinase cascade plays a pivotal role in the MPF activation during the oocyte maturation process.     

A mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activating factor in mammalian mitogen-stimulated cells is homologous to Xenopus M phase MAP kinase activator.

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, a family of 40-45-kDa kinases whose activation requires both tyrosine and threonine/serine phosphorylations, are suggested to play key roles in various phosphorylation cascades. A previous study of Krebs and co-workers (Ahn, N. G., Seger, R., Bratlien, R. L., Diltz, C. D., Tonks, N. K., and Krebs, E. G. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4220-4227) detected an activity in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated 3T3 cells that can stimulate inactive MAP kinases. We observed this activity in rat 3Y1 cells treated with various mitogenic factors and in PC12 cells treated with nerve growth factor (NGF). Its kinetics of activation and deactivation following EGF or NGF stimulation roughly paralleled that of MAP kinase. The MAP kinase activator required the presence of ATP and a divalent cation such as Mn2+ and Mg2+ and was inactivated by phosphatase 2A treatment in vitro. This activator has been isolated from EGF-stimulated 3Y1 cells by sequential chromatography and identified as a 45-kDa monomeric protein. It was able to activate mammalian and Xenopus MAP kinases in vitro and was very similar to Xenopus M phase MAP kinase activating factor, which was purified previously from mature oocytes (Matsuda, S., Kosako, H., Takenaka, K., Moriyama, K., Sakai, H., Akiyama, T., Gotoh, Y., and Nishida, E. (1992) EMBO J. 11, 973-982), in terms of its functional, immunological, and physicochemical properties. Thus, the same or a similar upstream activating factor may function in mitogen-induced and M phase-promoting factor-induced MAP kinase activation pathways.     

Activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase by a MAP kinase-kinase.

Previously it has been shown that acute 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treatment of intact U937 cells results in activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and a MAP kinase activator. MAP kinase activator induces phosphorylation of MAP kinase on tyrosine and threonine residues, thereby activating MAP kinase. Here, experiments with the irreversible kinase inhibitor, 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine (FSBA), show that MAP kinase activator is in fact a MAP kinase-kinase. Treatment of MAP kinase activator with FSBA results in complete inactivation. This inactivation is prevented by a 10-fold excess of ATP. Inactivation of MAP kinase by FSBA does not affect the extent of threonine/tyrosine phosphorylation induced by MAP kinase-kinase.     

Nerve growth factor-induced phosphorylation cascade in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. Association of S6 kinase II with the microtubule-associated protein kinase, ERK1.

Microtubule-associated protein (MAP) kinases form a group of serine/threonine kinases stimulated by various growth factors such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and hormones such as insulin. Interestingly, MAP kinases are thought to participate in a protein kinase cascade leading to cell growth as they have been shown to phosphorylate and activate ribosomal protein S6 kinase. To further evaluate the interactions between the different components of this cascade, we looked at the possible coprecipitation of MAP kinase activator(s) or MAP kinase substrate(s) with MAP kinase. Using antipeptides to the C terminus of the M(r) 44,000 MAP kinase, ERK1, and cell extracts from unstimulated or NGF-treated PC12 cells, we obtained in addition to MAP kinase itself coprecipitation of a protein with a M(r) in the 90,000 range. We further show that this protein is a protein kinase since it becomes phosphorylated on serine residues, after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transfer to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. In vitro phosphorylation performed before sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrates NGF-sensitive phosphorylation of this 90-kDa protein on both serine and threonine; the serine phosphorylation is likely to be due to autophosphorylation, and the threonine phosphorylation due to phosphorylation by the copurifying MAP kinase. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation of this 90-kDa protein was obtained with antibodies to S6 kinase II. Finally, using in situ chemical cross-linking, we were able to demonstrate in intact cells the occurrence of an anti-ERK1 immunoreactive species with a molecular mass of approximately 125,000 compatible with a complex between ERK1 and a 90-kDa S6 kinase. Taken together, our observations demonstrate that the 44-kDa MAP kinase is associated, in intact PC12 cells, with a protein kinase which is very likely to be S6 kinase II. In conclusion, our data represent strong evidence for a physiological role of the MAP kinase-S6 kinase cascade in PC12 cells. Finally, our antipeptides provide us with a powerful tool to search for additional physiologically relevant substrates for MAP kinase, a key integrator enzyme for growth factors and hormones.     

Multiple roles of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in Xenopus laevis

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was originally identified as a serine/threonine protein kinase that is rapidly activated in response to various growth factors and tumor promoters in mammalian cultured cells. The kinase cascade including MAPK and its direct activator, MAPK kinase (MAPKK), is now believed to transmit various extracellular signals into their intracellular targets in eukaryotic cells. It has been reported that activation of MAPKK and MAPK occurs during the meiotic maturation of oocytes in several species, including Xenopus laevis . Studies with neutralizing antibodies against MAPKK, MAPK phosphatases and constitutively active MAPKK or MAPK have revealed a crucial role of the MAPKK/MAPK cascade in a number of developmental processes in Xenopus oocytes and embryos.     

Deciphering the MAP kinase pathway

MAP kinases (MAPK) are serine/threonine kinases which are activated by a dual phosphorylation on threonine and tyrosine residues. Their specific upstream activators, called MAP kinase kinases (MAPKK), constitute a new family of dual-specific threonine/tyrosine kinases, which in turn are activated by upstream MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAPKKK). These three kinase families are successively stimulated in a cascade of activation described in various species such as mammals, frog, fly, worm or yeast.In mammals, the MAP kinase module lies on the signaling pathway triggered by numerous agonists such as growth factors, hormones, lymphokines, tumor promoters, stress factors, etc. Targets of MAP kinase have been characterize tin all subcellular compartments. In yeast, genetic epistasis helped to characterize the presence of several MAP kinase modules in the same system. By complementation tests, the relationships existing between phylogenetically distant members of each kinase family have been described. The roles of the MAP kinase cascade have been analyzed by engineering various mutations in the kinases of the module. The MAP kinase cascade has thus been implicated in higher eukaryotes in cell growth, cell fate and differentiation, and in low eukaryotes, in conjugation, osmotic stress, cell wall constrct and mitosis.     

Defective regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in a 3T3 cell variant mitogenically nonresponsive to tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase which is activated in response to various mitogenic agonists (e.g., epidermal growth factor, insulin, and the tumor promoter tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate [TPA]) and requires both threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation for activity. This enzyme has recently been shown to be identical or closely related to pp42, a protein which becomes tyrosine phosphorylated in response to mitogenic stimulation. Neither the kinases which regulate MAP kinase/pp42 nor the in vivo substrates for this enzyme are known. Because MAP MAP kinase is activated and phosphorylated in response both to agents which stimulate tyrosine kinase receptors and to agents which stimulate protein kinase C, a serine/threonine kinase, we have examined the regulation and phosphorylation of this enzyme in 3T3-TNR9 cells, a variant cell line partially defective in protein kinase C-mediated signalling. In this communication, we show that in the 3T3-TNR9 variant cell line, TPA does not cause the characteristically rapid phosphorylation of pp42 or the activation and phosphorylation of MAP kinase. This defective response is not due to the absence of the MAP kinase/pp42 protein itself because both tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinase/pp42 and its enzymatic activation could be induced by platelet-derived growth factor in the 3T3-TNR9 cells. Thus, the defect in these variant cells apparently resides in some aspect of the regulation of MAP kinase phosphorylation. Since the 3T3-TNR9 cells are also defective with respect to the TPA-induced increase in ribosomal protein S6 kinase, these in vivo results reinforce the earlier in vitro finding that MAP kinase can regulate S6 kinase activity. These findings suggest a key role for MAP kinase in a kinase cascade cascade involved in the control of cell proliferation.     

Fission yeast p13 blocks mitotic activation and tyrosine dephosphorylation of the Xenopus cdc2 protein kinase

It has been demonstrated that the Xenopus homolog of the fission yeast cdc2 protein is a component of M phase promoting factor (MPF). We show that the Xenopus cdc2 protein is phosphorylated on tyrosine in vivo, and that this tyrosine phosphorylation varies markedly with the stage of the cell cycle. Tyrosine phosphorylation is high during interphase (in Xenopus oocytes and activated eggs) but absent during M phase (in unfertilized eggs). In vitro activation of pre-MPF from Xenopus oocytes results in tyrosine dephosphorylation of the cdc2 protein and switching-on of its kinase activity. The product of the fission yeast suc1 gene (p13), which inhibits the entry into mitosis in Xenopus extracts, completely blocks tyrosine dephosphorylation and kinase activation. However, p13 has no effect on the activated form of the cdc2 kinase. These findings suggest that p13 controls the activation of the cdc2 kinase, and that tyrosine dephosphorylation is an important step in this process.     

Cell cycle tyrosine phosphorylation of p34cdc2 and a microtubule-associated protein kinase homolog in Xenopus oocytes and eggs.

We have examined the time course of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in the meiotic cell cycles of Xenopus laevis oocytes and the mitotic cell cycles of Xenopus eggs. We have identified two proteins that undergo marked changes in tyrosine phosphorylation during these processes: a 42-kDa protein related to mitogen-activated protein kinase or microtubule-associated protein-2 kinase (MAP kinase) and a 34-kDa protein identical or related to p34cdc2. p42 undergoes an abrupt increase in its tyrosine phosphorylation at the onset of meiosis 1 and remains tyrosine phosphorylated until 30 min after fertilization, at which point it is dephosphorylated. p42 also becomes tyrosine phosphorylated after microinjection of oocytes with partially purified M-phase-promoting factor, even in the presence of cycloheximide. These findings suggest that MAP kinase, previously implicated in the early responses of somatic cells to mitogens, is also activated at the onset of meiotic M phase and that MAP kinase can become tyrosine phosphorylated downstream from M-phase-promoting factor activation. We have also found that p34 goes through a cycle of tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation prior to meiosis 1 and mitosis 1 but is not detectable as a phosphotyrosyl protein during the 2nd through 12th mitotic cell cycles. It may be that the delay between assembly and activation of the cyclin-p34cdc2 complex that p34cdc2 tyrosine phosphorylation provides is not needed in cell cycles that lack G2 phases. Finally, an unidentified protein or group of proteins migrating at 100 to 116 kDa increase in tyrosine phosphorylation throughout maturation, are dephosphorylated or degraded within 10 min of fertilization, and appear to cycle between low-molecular-weight forms and high-molecular-weight forms during early embryogenesis.