Activated alpha subunit of Go protein induces oocyte maturation

The capability of various activated guanine nucleotide binding regulatory protein (G protein) alpha subunits to induce meiotic maturation was studied. Activated Go protein alpha subunit (alpha o*) but not the three inhibitory G protein alpha subunits triggered meiotic maturation in Xenopus oocytes. The effect was concentration dependent with a half-maximal effect in the 100-200 pM range. Injection of alpha o* stimulated protein kinase C activity. Coinjection of the peptide containing residues 19-36 of protein kinase C [PKC-(19-36)], a specific protein kinase C inhibitor, blocked the alpha o*- but not progesterone-induced maturation. Cycloheximide and the injection of antisense oligonucleotides specific to the c-mos transcript blocked alpha o-induced maturation. Immunoprecipitation with a mos protein-specific monoclonal antibody showed that alpha o-injected oocytes had phosphorylated mos protein. When PKC-(19-36) was coinjected with alpha o*, phosphorylated mos protein was not observed. These observations indicate that alpha o*, through protein kinase C and the translation of c-mos, can trigger meiotic division of Xenopus oocytes. Our results raise the possibility that persistently activated G proteins through cellular protooncogenes may regulate cell-cycle resumption.