Mitogenic signalling and protein phosphorylation in Xenopus oocytes

Xenopus oocytes are stimulated to undergo meiotic cell division in response to several types of mitogenic stimuli. Agents that reduce cAMP levels induce cell division in oocytes, and this occurs due to inhibition of adenylate cyclase with progesterone as well as by activation of phosphodiesterase with insulin. Phorbol esters and microinjected protein kinase C also promote cell division, implicating phospholipid breakdown as another signalling pathway competent to induce proliferation in this system. A third signalling pathway is via the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor. A proximal activation of a ribosomal protein S6 kinase by insulin has provided insight into the regulation of this pathway. All three of these signal transduction pathways lead to the activation of a cytoplasmic protein able to induce nuclear breakdown, chromosome condensation and spindle formation in vivo and in vitro. This protein, known as maturation-promoting factor, is associated with changes in protein phosphorylation on both serine and tyrosine residues. These results support a model in which signal transduction by different pathways activates a common cell cycle control element that regulates the G2----M transition via changes in protein phosphorylation.