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Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish
Published on: April 22, 2017
The subcortical maternal complex modulates the cell cycle during early mammalian embryogenesis via 14-3-3
Zhuo Han1, Rui Wang2,3,4, Pengliang Chi1
1Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Disease of Women and Children of MOE, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Abstract:
The subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) is essential for safeguarding female fertility in mammals. Assembled in oocytes, the SCMC maintains the cleavage of early embryos, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we report that 14-3-3, a multifunctional protein, is a component of the SCMC. By resolving the structure of the 14-3-3-containing SCMC, we discover that phosphorylation of TLE6 contributes to the recruitment of 14-3-3. Mechanistically, during maternal-to-embryo transition, the SCMC stabilizes 14-3-3 protein and contributes to the proper control of CDC25B, thus ensuring the activation of the maturation-promoting factor and mitotic entry in mouse zygotes. Notably, the SCMC establishes a conserved molecular link with 14-3-3 and CDC25B in human oocytes/embryos. This study discloses the molecular mechanism through which the SCMC regulates the cell cycle in early embryos and elucidates the function of the SCMC in mammalian early embryogenesis.
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