Requirement for p34cdc2 kinase is restricted to mitosis in the mammalian cdc2 mutant FT210

The mouse FT210 cell line is a temperature-sensitive cdc2 mutant. FT210 cells are found to arrest specifically in G2 phase and unlike many alleles of cdc2 and cdc28 mutants of yeasts, loss of p34cdc2 at the nonpermissive temperature has no apparent effect on cell cycle progression through the G1 and S phases of the division cycle. FT210 cells and the parent wild-type FM3A cell line each possess at least three distinct histone H1 kinases. H1 kinase activities in chromatography fractions were identified using a synthetic peptide substrate containing the consensus phosphorylation site of histone H1 and the kinase subunit compositions were determined immunochemically with antisera prepared against the "PSTAIR" peptide, the COOH-terminus of mammalian p34cdc2 and the human cyclins A and B1. The results show that p34cdc2 forms two separate complexes with cyclin A and with cyclin B1, both of which exhibit thermal lability at the non-permissive temperature in vitro and in vivo. A third H1 kinase with stable activity at the nonpermissive temperature is comprised of cyclin A and a cdc2-like 34-kD subunit, which is immunoreactive with anti-"PSTAIR" antiserum but is not recognized with antiserum specific for the COOH-terminus of p34cdc2. The cyclin A-associated kinases are active during S and G2 phases and earlier in the division cycle than the p34cdc2-cyclin B1 kinase. We show that mouse cells possess at least two cdc2-related gene products which form cell cycle regulated histone H1 kinases and we propose that the murine homolog of yeast p34cdc/CDC28 is essential only during the G2-to-M transition in FT210 cells.     

Characterization of synthetic peptide substrates for p34cdc2 protein kinase

Synthetic peptide substrates for the cell division cycle regulated protein kinase, p34cdc2, have been developed and characterized. These peptides are based on the sequences of two known substrates of the enzyme, Simian Virus 40 Large T antigen and the human cellular recessive oncogene product, p53. The peptide sequences are H-A-D-A-Q-H-A-T-P-P-K-K-K-R-K-V-E-D-P-K-D-F-OH (T antigen) and H-K-R-A-L-P-N-N-T-S-S-S-P-Q-P-K-K-K-P-L-D-G-E-Y-NH2 (p53), and they have been employed in a rapid assay of phosphorylation in vitro. Both peptides show linear kinetics and an apparent Km of 74 and 120 microM, respectively, for the purified human enzyme. The T antigen peptide is specifically phosphorylated by p34cdc2 and not by seven other protein serine/threonine kinases, chosen because they represent major classes of such enzymes. The peptides have been used in whole cell lysates to detect protein kinase activity, and the cell cycle variation of this activity is comparable to that measured with specific immune and affinity complexes of p34cdc2. In addition, the peptide phosphorylation detected in mitotic cells is depleted by affinity adsorption of p34cdc2 using either antibodies to p34cdc2 or by immobilized p13, a p34cdc2-binding protein. Purification of peptide kinase activity from mitotic HeLa cells yields an enzyme indistinguishable from p34cdc2. These peptides should be useful in the investigation of p34cdc2 protein kinase and their regulation throughout the cell division cycle.     

Mitosis-specific phosphorylation of p60c-src by p34cdc2-associated protein kinase

As cells enter mitosis, the protein-tyrosine kinase, p60c-src, is known to be extensively phosphorylated on threonine in its amino-terminal region. In the present work, extracts of mitotic cells were searched for the protein kinase responsible for this phosphorylation. HeLa cells and Xenopus eggs were found to contain a mitosis-specific protein kinase activity capable of phosphorylating highly purified p60c-src in vitro on threonine residues. Tryptic phosphopeptide maps indicate that the mitotic HeLa kinase phosphorylates the same sites in vitro as those used during mitosis in vivo. In addition, this mitotic HeLa kinase comigrates on gel filtration with p34cdc2-associated histone H1 kinase, a well known regulator of mitotic events. Finally, antibodies to the C-terminal peptide of human p34cdc2 specifically deplete p60c-src-phosphorylating activity from mitotic extracts. These results suggest that p60c-src may act as an effector of p34cdc2 in certain mitotic processes.     

Phosphorylation of casein kinase II by p34cdc2 in vitro and at mitosis.

In human epidermal carcinoma A431 cells, the beta subunit of casein kinase II is phosphorylated at an autophosphorylation site and at serine 209 which can be phosphorylated in vitro by p34cdc2 (Litchfield, D. W., Lozeman, F. J., Cicirelli, M. F., Harrylock, M., Ericsson, L. H., Piening, C. J., and Krebs, E. G. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 20380-20389). Given the importance of p34cdc2 in the regulation of cell cycle events, we were interested in examining the phosphorylation of casein kinase II during different stages of the cell cycle. In this study it is demonstrated that the extent of phosphorylation of serine 209 in the beta subunit is significantly increased relative to phosphorylation of the autophosphorylation site when chicken bursal lymphoma BK3A cells are arrested at mitosis by nocodazole treatment. This result suggests that serine 209 is a likely physiological target for p34cdc2. In addition, the alpha subunit of casein kinase II also undergoes dramatic phosphorylation with an associated alteration in its electrophoretic mobility when BK3A cells or human Jurkat cells are arrested with nocodazole. Phosphopeptide mapping studies indicate that p34cdc2 can phosphorylate in vitro the same peptides on the alpha subunit that are phosphorylated in cells arrested at mitosis. These phosphorylation sites were localized to serine and threonine residues in the carboxyl-terminal domain of alpha. Taken together, the results of this study indicate that casein kinase II is a probable physiological substrate for p34cdc2 and suggest that its functional properties could be affected in a cell cycle-dependent manner.     

Intermediate filament reorganization during mitosis is mediated by p34cdc2 phosphorylation of vimentin

As cells enter mitosis, the intermediate filament (IF) networks of interphase BHK-21 cells are depolymerized to form cytoplasmic aggregates of disassembled IFs, and the constituent IF proteins, vimentin and desmin are hyperphosphorylated at several specific sites. We have characterized one of two endogenous vimentin kinases from a particulate fraction of mitotic cell lysates. Through several purification steps, vimentin kinase activity copurifies with histone H1 kinase and both activities bind to p13suc1-Sepharose. The final enriched kinase preparation consists primarily of p34cdc2 and polypeptides of 65 and 110 kd. The purified kinase complex phosphorylates vimentin in vitro at a subset of sites phosphorylated in vivo during mitosis. Furthermore, phosphorylation of in vitro polymerized vimentin IFs by the purified kinase causes their disassembly. Therefore, vimentin is a substrate of p34cdc2 and phosphorylation of vimentin contributes to M phase reorganization of the IF network.     

Regulatory phosphorylation of the p34cdc2 protein kinase in vertebrates.

The p34cdc2 protein kinase is a conserved regulator of the eukaryotic cell cycle. Here we show that residues Thr14 and Tyr15 of mouse p34cdc2 become phosphorylated as mouse fibroblasts proceed through the cell cycle. We have mutated these residues and measured protein kinase activity of the p34cdc2 variants in a Xenopus egg extract. Phosphorylation of residues 14 and 15, which lie within the presumptive ATP-binding region of p34cdc2, normally restrains the protein kinase until it is specifically dephosphorylated and activated at the G2/M transition. Regulation by dephosphorylation of Tyr15 is conserved from fission yeast to mammals, while an extra level of regulation of mammalian p34cdc2 involves Thr14 dephosphorylation. In the absence of phosphorylation on these two residues, the kinase still requires cyclin B protein for its activation. Inhibition of DNA synthesis inhibits activation of wild-type p34cdc2 in the Xenopus system, but a mutant which cannot be phosphorylated at residues 14 and 15 escapes this inhibition, suggesting that these phosphorylation events form part of the pathway linking completion of DNA replication to initiation of mitosis.     

The Arabidopsis functional homolog of the p34cdc2 protein kinase.

The p34cdc2 protein kinase is a key component of the eukaryotic cell cycle, which is required for G1 to S-phase transition and for entry into mitosis. Using a 380-base pair DNA fragment obtained by polymerase chain reaction amplification from an Arabidopsis thaliana flower cDNA library as a probe, we isolated and sequenced a cdc2-homologous cDNA from Arabidopsis. The encoded polypeptide has extensive homology with cdc2-like kinases. Furthermore, when expressed in a CDC28ts Saccharomyces strain, it partially restores the capacity to grow at 36 degrees C, indicating that the plant cDNA is a functional homolog of the p34cdc2 kinase. Genomic hybridization demonstrated that there is one copy of the cdc2 gene per Arabidopsis haploid genome. Using RNA gel blot analysis, we found that cdc2 mRNA is present in all plant organs.     

Association of type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase with p34cdc2 protein kinase in human fibroblasts

Previous independent studies suggested that type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase and the p34cdc2 protein kinase cell cycle regulator co-localize at centrosomes. In order to investigate whether there is an association of type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase with p34cdc2 in human fibroblasts, we used three different approaches. First, the regulatory subunits RI and RII were photoaffinity-labeled with 8-N3-[32P]cAMP, and anti-p34cdc2 immunoprecipitates were screened for the presence of either RI or RII regulatory subunits by one- or two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Second, anti-RII alpha immunoprecipitates were screened for the presence of p34cdc2 by Western blot using three different affinity-purified antibodies recognizing different domains of human p34cdc2. Conversely, anti-p34cdc2 immunoprecipitates (three different antibodies), as well as the material retained on p13suc1-Sepharose Bio-Beads, which binds specifically p34cdc2, were screened for the presence of RII alpha. Finally, we have looked for cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity specifically inhibited by PKI in immunoprecipitates obtained from extracts treated with different anti-p34cdc2 antibodies. All these experiments gave concordant results and demonstrate that at least at G0/G1, human fibroblasts contain a complex of active type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase associated through its RII alpha subunit with p34cdc2.     

Activation of p34cdc2 kinase by cyclin A

Functional clam cyclin A and B proteins have been produced using a baculovirus expression system. Both cyclin A and B can induce meiosis I and meiosis II in Xenopus in the absence of protein synthesis. Half-maximal induction occurs at 50 nM for cyclin A and 250 nM for cyclin B. Addition of 25 nM cyclin A to activated Xenopus egg extracts arrested in the cell cycle by treatment with RNase or emetine activates cdc2 kinase to the normal metaphase level and stimulates one oscillatory cell cycle. High levels of cyclin A cause marked hyperactivation of cdc2 kinase and a stable arrest at the metaphase point in the cell cycle. Kinetic studies demonstrate the concentration of cyclin A added does not affect the 10 min lag period required for kinase activation or the timing of maximal activity, but does control the rate of deactivation of cdc2 kinase during exit from mitosis. In addition, exogenous clam cyclin A inhibits the degradation of both A- and B-type endogenous Xenopus cyclins. These results define a system for investigating the biochemistry and regulation of cdc2 kinase activation by cyclin A.     

p 34cdc2 kinase homologue in the preprophase band

Summary Immunofluorescence microscopy with a monoclonal antibody raised against the PSTAIR sequence, which corresponds to a peptide conserved in the p 34^cdc2 protein kinase throughout the phylogenetic scale including higher plants, was used to study the intracellular localization of p 34^cdc2 during the cell cycle in onion root tip cells. Although p 34^cdc2 was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm throughout the cell cycle, a more intense staining was observed in the cortical region, where the preprophase band of microtubules (MTs) was located. Double staining with the PSTAIR and plant tubulin antibodies showed that the width of p 34^cdc2 band was narrower than that of MT band. These data raise the interesting question regarding the possible role of p 34^cdc2 protein kinase in determining the division site in plant cells.     

Dominant mutants identify new roles for p34cdc2 in mitosis.

A large number of dominant mutants have been generated in the fission yeast cdc2 gene, causing lethality when expressed in wild-type cells. The mutants interfere with distinct aspects of p34cdc2 function, producing one of four different phenotypes: mitotic arrest, multiple rounds of S phase in the absence of mitosis, premature mitosis or G2 arrest. The mitotic mutants DL41, DL45 and DL50 are characterized in this paper. Over-expression of DL41 or DL45 causes mitotic arrest, specifically interfering with sister chromatid separation, without preventing spindle elongation. This suggests a role for p34cdc2 in triggering sister chromatid separation at anaphase. DL41 and DL45 also cause abnormal septum formation, suggesting that p34cdc2 may also be involved in regulating this process in fission yeast. These mitotic aspects of p34cdc2 function may involve interaction with p13suc1, since increased expression of suc1 partially suppresses DL41 and DL45. Over-expression of DL50 causes premature mitotic entry in cells that have not completed S phase, resulting in lethality. DL41, DL45 and DL50 correspond to mutation of p34cdc2 residues predicted to be on the surface of the protein, identifying potential sites of interaction with mitotic regulators of p3cdc2, and these residues are conserved amongst cdc2 proteins found in other eukaryotes.     

Maturation-promoting factor and p34cdc2 kinase during oocyte maturation of the Japanese quail

Maturation-promoting factor and a homolog of fission yeast cdc2+ gene product (p34cdc2) were investigated during the final 24 hr of maturation of quail oocytes. Kinase activity of p34cdc2 in the oocyte germinal disk (GD) increased 15 times at maturation. Two bands, at 32 and 34 kDa, were detected in immature oocytes by immunoblotting of SDS-PAGE with anti-p34cdc2 monoclonal antibody. A new band, which is close to the 32-kDa band but with a slightly faster mobility, appeared during maturation. No p34cdc2 could be detected outside the GD. Microinjection of GD extract from mature oocytes caused maturation of Xenopus oocytes.     

Regulation of p105wee1 and p34cdc2 during meiosis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Temperature-sensitive pat1 mutants of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe can be induced to undergo meiosis at the restrictive temperature, irrespective of the mat1 configuration and the nutritional conditions. Using a combination of exit from stationary phase and thermal inactivation of the 52-kilodalton protein kinase that is encoded by the pat1 (also called ran1) gene, highly synchronous meiotic cultures were obtained. Synthesis and tyrosyl phosphorylation of p34cdc2 was evident during meiotic G1 and S phases. During this period there was increased expression of p105wee1, a protein kinase implicated in the tyrosyl phosphorylation of p34cdc2. Following a relatively brief G2 period, during which a reduction in the steady-state level of p105wee1 occurred, there was an approximately 19-fold increase in the histone H1 phosphotransferase activity of p34cdc2. Only a single peak of histone H1 kinase activation was observed, which implies that unlike meiosis in amphibians and echinoderms, p34cdc2 is functional only during one of the meiotic divisions in S. pombe, presumably meiosis II. Stimulation of the kinase activity of p34cdc2 was associated with its tyrosyl dephosphorylation. This is analogous to mitotic M phase and suggests parallels in the mechanism of activation of p34cdc2 during mitosis and one of the meiotic divisions in S. pombe.     

The cdc2-related protein p40MO15 is the catalytic subunit of a protein kinase that can activate p33cdk2 and p34cdc2.

Activation of the cyclin-dependent protein kinases p34cdc2 and p33cdk2 requires binding with a cyclin partner and phosphorylation on the first threonine residue in the sequence THEVVTLWYRAPE. We present evidence that this threonine residue, number 160 in p33cdk2, can be specifically phosphorylated by a cdc2-related protein kinase from Xenopus oocytes called p40MO15. Binding to cyclin A and phosphorylation of this threonine are both required to activate fully the histone H1 kinase activity of p33cdk2. In cell extracts, a portion of p40MO15 is found in a high molecular weight complex that is considerably more active than a lower molecular weight form. Wild-type MO15 protein expressed in bacteria does not possess kinase activity, but acquires p33cdk2-T160 kinase activity after incubation with cell extract and ATP. We conclude that p40MO15 corresponds to CAK (cdc2/cdk2 activating kinase) and speculate that, like p33cdk2 and p34cdc2, p40MO15 requires activation by phosphorylation and association with a companion subunit.     

cdc25+ encodes a protein phosphatase that dephosphorylates p34cdc2.

To determine how the human cdc25 gene product acts to regulate p34cdc2 at the G2 to M transition, we have overproduced the full-length protein (cdc25Hs) as well as several deletion mutants in bacteria as glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins. The wild-type cdc25Hs gene product was synthesized as an 80-kDa fusion protein (p80GST-cdc25) and was judged to be functional by several criteria: recombinant p80GST-cdc25 induced meiotic maturation of Xenopus oocytes in the presence of cycloheximide; p80GST-cdc25 activated histone H1 kinase activity upon addition to extracts prepared from Xenopus oocytes; p80GST-cdc25 activated p34cdc2/cyclin B complexes (prematuration promoting factor) in immune complex kinase assays performed in vitro; p80GST-cdc25 stimulated the tyrosine dephosphorylation of p34cdc2/cyclin complexes isolated from Xenopus oocyte extracts as well as from overproducing insect cells; and p80GST-cdc25 hydrolyzed p-nitrophenylphosphate. In addition, deletion analysis defined a functional domain residing within the carboxy-terminus of the cdc25Hs protein. Taken together, these results suggest that the cdc25Hs protein is itself a phosphatase and that it may function directly in the tyrosine dephosphorylation and activation of p34cdc2 at the G2 to M transition.     

p34cdc2 acts as a lamin kinase in fission yeast

The nuclear lamina is an intermediate filament network that underlies the nuclear membrane in higher eukaryotic cells. During mitosis in higher eukaryotes, nuclear lamins are phosphorylated by a mitosis-specific kinase and this induces disassembly of the lamina structure. Recently, p34cdc2 protein kinase purified from starfish has been shown to induce phosphorylation of lamin proteins and disassembly of the nuclear lamina when incubated with isolated chick nuclei suggesting that p34cdc2 is likely to be the mitotic lamin kinase (Peter, M., J. Nakagawa, M. Dorée, J.C. Labbe, and E.A. Nigg. 1990b. Cell. 45:145-153). To confirm and extend these studies using genetic techniques, we have investigated the role of p34cdc2 in lamin phosphorylation in the fission yeast. As fission yeast lamins have not been identified, we have introduced a cDNA encoding the chicken lamin B2 protein into fission yeast. We report here that the chicken lamin B2 protein expressed in fission yeast is assembled into a structure that associates with the nucleus during interphase and becomes dispersed throughout the cytoplasm when cells enter mitosis. Mitotic reorganization correlates with phosphorylation of the chicken lamin B2 protein by a mitosis-specific yeast lamin kinase with similarities to the mitotic lamin kinase of higher eukaryotes. We show that a lamin kinase activity can be detected in cell-free yeast extracts and in p34cdc2 immunoprecipitates prepared from yeast cells arrested in mitosis. The fission yeast lamin kinase activity is temperature sensitive in extracts and immunoprecipitates prepared from strains bearing temperature-sensitive mutations in the cdc2 gene. These results in conjunction with the previously reported biochemical studies strongly suggest that disassembly of the nuclear lamina at mitosis in higher eukaryotic cells is a consequence of direct phosphorylation of nuclear lamins by p34cdc2.