Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
09:24
Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Mouse Oocytes for Assessment of Synapsis and Recombination
Published on: July 18, 2025
882
CCDC41 Drives Oocyte Meiotic Progression by Promoting Rab11a/Rab7-Positive Vesicle Fusion with Target Membranes.
Ying Tian1,2, Jiatong Li3, Jingyi Kang1
1Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, P. R. China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|December 2, 2025
Summary
Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 41 (CCDC41) is crucial for oocyte meiosis, regulating cell cycle progression, spindle migration, and chromosome segregation. Its depletion impairs these processes by affecting vesicle trafficking and protease activity.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 41 (CCDC41) is a centriolar component with unknown roles in oocyte meiosis.
- Centrioles and distal appendages are vital for cell division and cilia formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the function of CCDC41 in oocyte meiosis.
- To investigate CCDC41's role in meiotic resumption, spindle migration, and chromosome segregation.
Main Methods:
- Oocyte-specific CCDC41 depletion using knockdown techniques.
- Analysis of meiotic progression, cell cycle regulators (Cyclin B1, CDK1, APC/C, CDH1, CDC20), and spindle dynamics.
- Investigation of CCDC41's localization and interaction with vesicle trafficking proteins (Rab11a, Rab7) and cathepsin.
Main Results:
- CCDC41 depletion caused meiotic arrest by impairing Cyclin B1 accumulation and CDK1 activation, linked to APC/C dysregulation.
- CCDC41 knockdown disrupted spindle cortical migration due to defective Rab11a-positive vesicle fusion and F-actin anchoring.
- CCDC41 loss accelerated anaphase onset by prematurely silencing the spindle assembly checkpoint and enhancing CDC20-mediated Cyclin B1 degradation.
- CCDC41 localizes to lysosomes, and its absence delays Rab7-positive late endosome fusion, leading to cathepsin dispersion.
- Inhibition of cathepsin B rescued meiotic progression in CCDC41-deficient oocytes.
Conclusions:
- CCDC41 is essential for faithful meiotic completion in oocytes.
- CCDC41 regulates CDC20 activity via cathepsin delivery to lysosomes.
- CCDC41 ensures proper spindle migration through Rab11a-dependent F-actin anchoring.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Rab Cascades
3.4K
Rab GTPases act in a regulated cascade during membrane fusion, helping the lipid bilayers mix. The Rab family of proteins are active when bound to GTP, and inactive when bound to GDP. Hence, they act as guanine nucleotide-dependent molecular switches. Rab-GTP recognizes and binds to long or short-range tethering proteins to capture the target vesicle. These tethers coordinate with SNAREs on the vesicle and the target membrane to assemble the trans SNARE complex that locks the mixing bilayers.
3.4K
01:14Rab Proteins
4.9K
Rab proteins constitute the largest family of monomeric GTPases, of which 70 members are present in humans. Rab proteins and their effectors regulate consecutive stages of vesicle transport such as vesicle transport, docking, and fusion to the correct recipient membrane.
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
4.9K
02:02Meiosis II
48.9K
Meiosis II entails cell division and segregation of the sister chromatids, resulting in the production of four unique haploid gametes. The steps for meiosis II are similar to mitosis, except that meiosis II occurs in haploid cells, whereas mitosis occurs in diploid cells.
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
48.9K
00:50Anaphase Promoting Complex
3.3K
The stepwise destruction of specific proteins is necessary for the progression and completion of the cell cycle. Such proteins are ubiquitinated by ubiquitin ligases and then subsequently destroyed by the proteasome. The SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F-box) and the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) are two important ubiquitin ligases involved in cell cycle progression. While SCF is active throughout the cell cycle, APC gets activated during metaphase to anaphase transition. Cdc20 or Cdh1 binds to APC and...
3.3K
01:43SNAREs and Membrane Fusion
12.3K
Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
12.3K
01:45Vesicular Tubular Clusters
3.0K
After budding out from the ER membrane, some COPII vesicles lose their coat and fuse with one another to form larger vesicles and interconnected tubules called vesicular tubular clusters or VTCs. These clusters constitute a compartment at the ER-Golgi interface known as ERGIC (Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment). The ERGIC is a mobile membrane-bound cargo transport system that sorts proteins secreted from ER and delivers them to the Golgi.
With the help of motor proteins such...
With the help of motor proteins such...
3.0K