GSBS Student Publications
Title
xRic-8 is a GEF for Gsalpha and participates in maintaining meiotic arrest in Xenopus laevis oocytes
UMMS Affiliation
Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular; Department of Cell Biology
Date
10-26-2007
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs; Gene Expression Regulation; Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; Humans; *Meiosis; Molecular Sequence Data; Oocytes; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering; Xenopus Proteins; Xenopus laevis
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
Immature stage VI Xenopus oocytes are arrested at the G(2)/M border of meiosis I until exposed to progesterone, which induces meiotic resumption through a non-genomic mechanism. One of the earliest events produced by this hormone is inhibition of the plasma membrane enzyme adenylyl cyclase (AC), with the concomitant drop in intracellular cAMP levels and reinitiation of the cell cycle. Recently Gsalpha and Gbetagamma have been shown to play an important role as positive regulators of Xenopus oocyte AC, maintaining the oocyte in the arrested state. However, a question that still remains unanswered, is how the activated state of Gsalpha and Gbetagamma is achieved in the immature oocyte, since no receptor or ligand have been found to be required. Here we provide evidence that xRic-8 can act in vitro and in vivo as a GEF for Gsalpha. Overexpression of xRic-8, through mRNA injection, greatly inhibits progesterone induced oocyte maturation and endogenous xRic-8 mRNA depletion, through siRNA microinjection, induces spontaneous oocyte maturation. These results suggest that xRic-8 is participating in the immature oocyte by keeping Gsalpha-Gbetagamma-AC signaling complex in an activated state and therefore maintaining G2 arrest.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Cell Physiol. 2008 Mar;214(3):673-80. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI of Published Version
10.1002/jcp.21257
Related Resources
Journal Title
Journal of cellular physiology
PubMed ID
17960561
Repository Citation
Romo, Ximena; Pasten, Pamela; Martinez, Silvana; Soto, Ximena; Lara, Pablo; de Arellano, Antonieta Ramirez; Torrejon, Marcela; Montecino, Martin A.; Hinrichs, Maria Victoria; and Olate, Juan, "xRic-8 is a GEF for Gsalpha and participates in maintaining meiotic arrest in Xenopus laevis oocytes" (2007). GSBS Student Publications. 1415.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/1415