Activation of mouse sperm T-type Ca2+ channels by adhesion to the egg zona pellucida

The sperm acrosome reaction is a Ca2+-dependent exocytotic event that is triggered by adhesion to the mammalian egg’s zona pellucida. Previous studies using ion-selective fluorescent probes suggested a role of voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in acrosome reactions. Here, whole-cell patch clamp techniques are used to demonstrate the expression of functional T-type Ca2+ channels during mouse spermatogenesis. The germ cell T current is inhibited by antagonists of T-type channels (pimozide and amiloride) as well as by antagonists whose major site of action is the somatic cell L-type Ca2+ channel (1,4-dihydropyridines, arylalkylamines, benzothiazapines), as has also been reported for certain somatic cell T currents. In sperm, inhibition of T channels during gamete interaction inhibits zona pellucida-dependent Ca2+ elevations, as demonstrated by ion-selective fluorescent probes, and also inhibits acrosome reactions. These studies directly link sperm T-type Ca2+ channels to fertilization. In addition, the kinetics of channel inhibition by 1,4-dihydropyridines suggests a mechanism for the reported contraceptive effects of those compounds in human males.

A method that allows the assembly of kinetochore components onto chromosomes condensed in clarified Xenopus egg extracts

Kinetochores are complex macromolecular structures that link mitotic chromosomes to spindle microtubules. Although a small number of kinetochore components have been identified, including the kinesins CENP-E and XKCM1 as well as cytoplasmic dynein, neither how these and other proteins are organized to produce a kinetochore nor their exact functions within this structure are understood. For this reason, we have developed an assay that allows kinetochore components to assemble onto discrete foci on in vitro-condensed chromosomes. The source of the kinetochore components is a clarified cell extract from Xenopus eggs that can be fractionated or immunodepleted of individual proteins. Kinetochore assembly in these clarified extracts requires preincubating the substrate sperm nuclei in an extract under low ATP conditions. Immunodepletion of XKCM1 from the extracts prevents the localization of kinetochore-associated XKCM1 without affecting the targeting of CENP-E and cytoplasmic dynein or the binding of monomeric tubulin to the kinetochore. Extension of this assay for the analysis of other components should help to dissect the protein–protein interactions involved in kinetochore assembly and function.

14-3-3 Proteins Act as Negative Regulators of the Mitotic Inducer Cdc25 in Xenopus Egg Extracts

Cdc25, the dual-specificity phosphatase that dephosphorylates the Cdc2–cyclin B complex at mitosis, is highly regulated during the cell cycle. In Xenopus egg extracts, Cdc25 is associated with two isoforms of the 14-3-3 protein. Cdc25 is complexed primarily with 14-3-3ε and to a lesser extent with 14-3-3ζ. The association of these 14-3-3 proteins with Cdc25 varies dramatically during the cell cycle: binding is high during interphase but virtually absent at mitosis. Interaction with 14-3-3 is mediated by phosphorylation of Xenopus Cdc25 at Ser-287, which resides in a consensus 14-3-3 binding site. Recombinant Cdc25 with a point mutation at this residue (Cdc25-S287A) is incapable of binding to 14-3-3. Addition of the Cdc25-S287A mutant to Xenopus egg extracts accelerates mitosis and overrides checkpoint-mediated arrests of mitotic entry due to the presence of unreplicated and damaged DNA. These findings indicate that 14-3-3 proteins act as negative regulators of Cdc25 in controlling the G2–M transition.

Activation of the p42 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway Inhibits Cdc2 Activation and Entry into M-Phase in Cycling Xenopus Egg Extracts

We have added constitutively active MAP kinase/ERK kinase (MEK), an activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, to cycling Xenopus egg extracts at various times during the cell cycle. p42MAPK activation during entry into M-phase arrested the cell cycle in metaphase, as has been shown previously. Unexpectedly, p42MAPK activation during interphase inhibited entry into M-phase. In these interphase-arrested extracts, H1 kinase activity remained low, Cdc2 was tyrosine phosphorylated, and nuclei continued to enlarge. The interphase arrest was overcome by recombinant cyclin B. In other experiments, p42MAPK activation by MEK or by Mos inhibited Cdc2 activation by cyclin B. PD098059, a specific inhibitor of MEK, blocked the effects of MEK(QP) and Mos. Mos-induced activation of p42MAPK did not inhibit DNA replication. These results indicate that, in addition to the established role of p42MAPK activation in M-phase arrest, the inappropriate activation of p42MAPK during interphase prevents normal entry into M-phase.

Histone H1 Reduces the Frequency of Initiation in Xenopus Egg Extract by Limiting the Assembly of Prereplication Complexes on Sperm Chromatin

Somatic histone H1 reduces both the rate and extent of DNA replication in Xenopus egg extract. We show here that H1 inhibits replication directly by reducing the number of replication forks, but not the rate of fork progression, in Xenopus sperm nuclei. Density substitution experiments demonstrate that those forks that are active in H1 nuclei elongate to form large tracts of fully replicated DNA, indicating that inhibition is due to a reduction in the frequency of initiation and not the rate or extent of elongation. The observation that H1 dramatically reduces the number of replication foci in sperm nuclei supports this view. The establishment of replication competent DNA in egg extract requires the assembly of prereplication complexes (pre-RCs) on sperm chromatin. H1 reduces binding of the pre-RC proteins, XOrc2, XCdc6, and XMcm3, to chromatin. Replication competence can be restored in these nuclei, however, only under conditions that promote the loss of H1 from chromatin and licensing of the DNA. Thus, H1 inhibits replication in egg extract by preventing the assembly of pre-RCs on sperm chromatin, thereby reducing the frequency of initiation. These data raise the interesting possibility that H1 plays a role in regulating replication origin use during Xenopus development.

Induction of a G2-Phase Arrest in Xenopus Egg Extracts by Activation of p42 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase

Previous work has established that activation of Mos, Mek, and p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase can trigger release from G2-phase arrest in Xenopus oocytes and oocyte extracts and can cause Xenopus embryos and extracts to arrest in mitosis. Herein we have found that activation of the MAP kinase cascade can also bring about an interphase arrest in cycling extracts. Activation of the cascade early in the cycle was found to bring about the interphase arrest, which was characterized by an intact nuclear envelope, partially condensed chromatin, and interphase levels of H1 kinase activity, whereas activation of the cascade just before mitosis brought about the mitotic arrest, with a dissolved nuclear envelope, condensed chromatin, and high levels of H1 kinase activity. Early MAP kinase activation did not interfere significantly with DNA replication, cyclin synthesis, or association of cyclins with Cdc2, but it did prevent hyperphosphorylation of Cdc25 and Wee1 and activation of Cdc2/cyclin complexes. Thus, the extracts were arrested in a G2-like state, unable to activate Cdc2/cyclin complexes. The MAP kinase-induced G2 arrest appeared not to be related to the DNA replication checkpoint and not to be mediated through inhibition of Cdk2/cyclin E; evidently a novel mechanism underlies this arrest. Finally, we found that by delaying the inactivation of MAP kinase during release of a cytostatic factor-arrested extract from its arrest state, we could delay the subsequent entry into mitosis. This finding suggests that it is the persistence of activated MAP kinase after fertilization that allows the occurrence of a G2-phase during the first mitotic cell cycle.

Chemical defense against predation in an insect egg

The larva of the green lacewing (Ceraeochrysa cubana) (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) is a natural predator of eggs of Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae), a moth that sequesters pyrrolizidine alkaloids from its larval foodplant (Fabaceae, Crotalaria spp.). Utetheisa eggs are ordinarily endowed with the alkaloid. Alkaloid-free Utetheisa eggs, produced experimentally, are pierced by the larva with its sharp tubular jaws and sucked out. Alkaloid-laden eggs, in contrast, are rejected. When attacking an Utetheisa egg cluster (numbering on average 20 eggs), the larva subjects it to an inspection process. It prods and/or pierces a small number of eggs (on average two to three) and, if these contain alkaloid, it passes “negative judgement” on the remainder of the cluster and turns away. Such generalization on the part of the larva makes sense, because the eggs within clusters differ little in alkaloid content. There is, however, considerable between-cluster variation in egg alkaloid content, so clusters in nature can be expected to range widely in palatability. To check each cluster for acceptability must therefore be adaptive for the larva, just as it must be adaptive for Utetheisa to lay its eggs in large clusters and to apportion alkaloid evenly among eggs of a cluster.

Photochemical protease: Site-specific photocleavage of hen egg lysozyme and bovine serum albumin

Site-specific photocleavage of hen egg lysozyme and bovine serum albumin (BSA) by N-(l-phenylalanine)-4-(1-pyrene)butyramide (Py-Phe) is reported. Py-Phe binds to lysozyme and BSA with binding constants 2.2 ± 0.3 × 105 M−1 and 6.5 ± 0.4 × 107 M−1, respectively. Photocleavage of lysozyme and BSA was achieved with high specificity when a mixture of protein, Py-Phe, and an electron acceptor, cobalt(III) hexammine (CoHA), was irradiated at 344 nm. Quantum yields of photocleavage of lysozyme and BSA were 0.26 and 0.0021, respectively. No protein cleavage was observed in the absence of Py-Phe, CoHA, or light. N-terminal sequencing of the protein fragments indicated a single cleavage site of lysozyme between Trp-108 and Val-109, whereas the cleavage of BSA was found to be between Leu-346 and Arg-347. Laser flash photolysis studies of a mixture of protein, Py-Phe, and CoHA showed a strong transient with absorption centered at ≈460 nm, corresponding to pyrene cation radical. Quenching of the singlet excited state of Py-Phe by CoHA followed by the reaction of the resulting pyrenyl cation radical with the protein backbone may be responsible for the protein cleavage. The high specificity of photocleavage may be valuable in targeting specific sites of proteins with small molecules.

DNA polymerase ɛ is required for coordinated and efficient chromosomal DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts

DNA polymerase ɛ (Polɛ) is thought to be involved in DNA replication, repair, and cell-cycle checkpoint control in eukaryotic cells. Although the requirement of other replicative DNA polymerases, DNA polymerases α and δ (Polα and δ), for chromosomal DNA replication has been well documented by genetic and biochemical studies, the precise role, if any, of Polɛ in chromosomal DNA replication is still obscure. Here we show, with the use of a cell-free replication system with Xenopus egg extracts, that Xenopus Polɛ is indeed required for chromosomal DNA replication. In Polɛ-depleted extracts, the elongation step of chromosomal DNA replication is markedly impaired, resulting in significant reduction of the overall DNA synthesis as well as accumulation of small replication intermediates. Moreover, despite the decreased DNA synthesis, excess amounts of Polα are loaded onto the chromatin template in Polɛ-depleted extracts, indicative of the failure of proper assembly of DNA synthesis machinery at the fork. These findings strongly suggest that Polɛ, along with Polα and Polδ, is necessary for coordinated chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotic cells.

Mismatch repair in Xenopus egg extracts: DNA strand breaks act as signals rather than excision points.

In Xenopus egg extracts, DNA strand breaks (nicks) located 3' or 5' to a mismatch cause an overall 3-fold stimulation of the repair of the mismatch in circular heteroduplex DNA molecules. The increase in mismatch repair is almost entirely due to an increase in repair of the nicked strand, which is stimulated 5-fold. Repair synthesis is centered to the mismatch site, decreases symmetrically on both sides, and its position is not significantly altered by the presence of the nick. Therefore, it appears that in the Xenopus germ cells, the mismatch repair system utilizes nicks as signals for the induction and direction of mismatch repair, but not as the start or end point for excision and resynthesis.

Chemical egg defense in a green lacewing (Ceraeochrysa smithi)

The green lacewing Ceraeochrysa smithi (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae), like other members of its family, lays its eggs on stalks, but it is unusual in that it coats these stalks with droplets of an oily fluid. The liquid consists of a mixture of fatty acids, an ester, and a series of straight-chain aldehydes. Relative to the eggs of a congeneric chrysopid that lacks stalk fluid, the eggs of C. smithi proved well protected against ants. Components of the fluid, in an assay with a cockroach, proved potently irritant. Following emergence from the egg, C. smithi larvae imbibe the stalk fluid, thereby possibly deriving nutritive benefit, defensive advantage, or both.

DNA-protein binding assays from a single sea urchin egg: a high-sensitivity capillary electrophoresis method.

A capillary electrophoresis method has been developed to study DNA-protein complexes by mobility-shift assay. This method is at least 100 times more sensitive than conventional gel mobility-shift procedures. Key features of the technique include the use of a neutral coated capillary, a small amount of linear polymer in the separation medium, and use of covalently dye-labeled DNA probes that can be detected with a commercially available laser-induced fluorescence monitor. The capillary method provides quantitative data in runs requiring < 20 min, from which dissociation constants are readily determined. As a test case we studied interactions of a developmentally important sea urchin embryo transcription factor, SpP3A2. As little as 2-10 x 10(6) molecules of specific SpP3A2-oligonucleotide complex were reproducibly detected, using recombinant SpP3A2, crude nuclear extract, egg lysates, and even a single sea urchin egg lysed within the capillary column.

A Drosophila seminal fluid protein, Acp26Aa, stimulates egg laying in females for 1 day after mating.

Mating triggers behavioral and physiological changes in the Drosophila melanogaster female, including an elevation of egg laying. Seminal fluid molecules from the male accessory gland are responsible for initial behavioral changes, but persistence of these changes requires stored sperm. Using genetic analysis, we have identified a seminal fluid protein that is responsible for an initial elevation of egg laying. This molecule, Acp26Aa, has structural features of a prohormone and contains a region with amino acid similarity to the egg-laying hormone of Aplysia. Acp26Aa is transferred to the female during mating, where it undergoes processing. Here we report the generation and analysis of mutants, including a null, in Acp26Aa. Females mated to male flies that lack Acp26Aa lay fewer eggs than do mates of normal males. This effect is apparent only on the first day after mating. The null mutation has no other detectable physiological or behavioral effects on the male or the mated female.