Chromosome segregation during female meiosis is frequently incorrect with severe consequences including termination of further development or severe disorders, such as Down syndrome. Accurate chromosome segregation requires tight control of a protease called separase, which facilitates the separation of sister chromatids by cohesin cleavage. There are several control mechanisms in place, including the binding of specific protein inhibitor securin, phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), and complex with SGO2 and MAD2 proteins. All these mechanisms restrict the activation of separase for the time when all chromosomes are properly attached to the spindle. In our study, we focused on securin and compared the expression profile of endogenous protein with exogenous securin, which is widely used to study chromosome segregation. We also compared the dynamics of securin proteolysis in meiosis I and meiosis II. Our study revealed that the expression of both endogenous and exogenous securin in oocytes is compartmentalized and that this protein accumulates on the spindle during meiosis I. We believe that this might have a direct impact on the regulation of separase activity in the vicinity of the chromosomes.

• Klíčová slova
• meiosis, mouse, oocyte, securin, separase,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is involved in essential events of cell cycle including mitosis in which it participates in centrosomal microtubule nucleation, spindle bipolarity establishment and cytokinesis. Although PLK1 function has been studied in cycling cancer cells, only limited data are known about its role in the first mitosis of mammalian zygotes. During the 1-cell stage of mouse embryo development, the acentriolar spindle is formed and the shift from acentriolar to centrosomal spindle formation progresses gradually throughout the preimplantation stage, thus providing a unique possibility to study acentriolar spindle formation. We have shown previously that PLK1 activity is not essential for entry into first mitosis, but is required for correct spindle formation and anaphase onset in 1-cell mouse embryos. In the present study, we extend this knowledge by employing quantitative confocal live cell imaging to determine spindle formation kinetics in the absence of PLK1 activity and answer the question whether metaphase arrest at PLK1-inhibited embryos is associated with low anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) activity and consequently high securin level. We have shown that inhibition of PLK1 activity induces a delay in onset of acentriolar spindle formation during first mitosis. Although these PLK1-inhibited 1-cell embryos were finally able to form a bipolar spindle, not all chromosomes were aligned at the metaphase equator. PLK1-inhibited embryos were arrested in metaphase without any sign of APC/C activation with high securin levels. Our results document that PLK1 controls the onset of spindle assembly and spindle formation, and is essential for APC/C activation before anaphase onset in mouse zygotes.

• Klíčová slova
• APC/C, BI2536, Live cell imaging, Mouse zygote, PLK1, Securin, Spindle assembly,
• MeSH
• anafáze MeSH
• anafázi podporující komplex metabolismus   MeSH
• aparát dělícího vřeténka metabolismus   MeSH
• blastocysta MeSH
• časosběrné zobrazování MeSH
• centrozom metabolismus   MeSH
• kinetika MeSH
• kinetochory metabolismus   MeSH
• konfokální mikroskopie MeSH
• mitóza MeSH
• myši MeSH
• polo-like kinasa 1 MeSH
• protein-serin-threoninkinasy antagonisté a inhibitory   metabolismus   MeSH
• proteiny buněčného cyklu antagonisté a inhibitory   metabolismus   MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny antagonisté a inhibitory   metabolismus   MeSH
• pteridiny farmakologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• zygota účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• anafázi podporující komplex MeSH
• BI 2536 MeSH Prohlížeč
• protein-serin-threoninkinasy MeSH
• proteiny buněčného cyklu MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny MeSH
• pteridiny MeSH

Non-specific chromosomal aberrations (CAs) are microscopically detected in about 1% of lymphocytes drawn from healthy persons. Causes of CAs in general population are not known but they may be related to risk of cancer. In view of the importance of the mitotic checkpoint machinery on maintaining chromosomal integrity we selected 9 variants in main checkpoint related genes (BUB1B, BUB3, MAD2L1, CENPF, ESPL1/separase, NEK2, PTTG1/securin, ZWILCH and ZWINT) for a genotyping study on samples from healthy individuals (N = 330 to 729) whose lymphocytes had an increased number of CAs compared to persons with a low number of CAs. Genetic variation in individual genes played a minor importance, consistent with the high conservation and selection pressure of the checkpoint system. However, gene pairs were significantly associated with CAs: PTTG1-ZWILCH and PTTG1-ZWINT. MAD2L1 and PTTG1 were the most common partners in any of the two-way interactions. The results suggest that interactions at the level of cohesin (PTTG1) and kinetochore function (ZWINT, ZWILCH and MAD2L1) contribute to the frequency of CAs, suggesting that gene variants at different checkpoint functions appeared to be required for the formation of CAs.

• Klíčová slova
• Chromosomal integrity, Cytogenetics, DNA double-stranded break, Spindle checkpoint,
• MeSH
• CDC geny * MeSH
• chromozomální aberace * MeSH
• dvouřetězcové zlomy DNA MeSH
• genetická variace * MeSH
• intracelulární signální peptidy a proteiny genetika   MeSH
• jaderné proteiny genetika   MeSH
• kontrolní body M fáze buněčného cyklu genetika   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lymfocyty chemie   patologie   MeSH
• Mad2 protein genetika   MeSH
• modely genetické MeSH
• proteiny buněčného cyklu genetika   MeSH
• sekurin genetika   MeSH
• zdraví dobrovolníci pro lékařské studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• intracelulární signální peptidy a proteiny MeSH
• jaderné proteiny MeSH
• Mad2 protein MeSH
• MAD2L1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• pituitary tumor-transforming protein 1, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• proteiny buněčného cyklu MeSH
• sekurin MeSH
• Zwilch protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• ZWINT protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč

Receiving complete and undamaged genetic information is vital for the survival of daughter cells after chromosome segregation. The most critical steps in this process are accurate DNA replication during S phase and a faithful chromosome segregation during anaphase. Any errors in DNA replication or chromosome segregation have dire consequences, since cells arising after division might have either changed or incomplete genetic information. Accurate chromosome segregation during anaphase requires a protein complex called cohesin, which holds together sister chromatids. This complex unifies sister chromatids from their synthesis during S phase, until separation in anaphase. Upon entry into mitosis, the spindle apparatus is assembled, which eventually engages kinetochores of all chromosomes. Additionally, when kinetochores of sister chromatids assume amphitelic attachment to the spindle microtubules, cells are finally ready for the separation of sister chromatids. This is achieved by the enzymatic cleavage of cohesin subunits Scc1 or Rec8 by an enzyme called Separase. After cohesin cleavage, sister chromatids remain attached to the spindle apparatus and their poleward movement on the spindle is initiated. The removal of cohesion between sister chromatids is an irreversible step and therefore it must be synchronized with assembly of the spindle apparatus, since precocious separation of sister chromatids might lead into aneuploidy and tumorigenesis. In this review, we focus on recent discoveries concerning the regulation of Separase activity during the cell cycle.

• Klíčová slova
• CDK1, Cyclin B1, Mad2, Sgo2, aneuploidy, chromosome division, cohesin, securin, segregation errors, separase,
• MeSH
• anafáze * MeSH
• aparát dělícího vřeténka metabolismus   MeSH
• chromatidy * metabolismus   MeSH
• mitóza MeSH
• proteiny buněčného cyklu metabolismus   MeSH
• segregace chromozomů MeSH
• separáza genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• proteiny buněčného cyklu MeSH
• separáza MeSH

Chromosome segregation errors are highly frequent in mammalian female meiosis, and their incidence gradually increases with maternal age. The fate of aneuploid eggs is obviously dependent on the stringency of mechanisms for detecting unattached or repairing incorrectly attached kinetochores. In case of their failure, the newly formed embryo will inherit the impaired set of chromosomes, which will have severe consequences for its further development. Whether spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) in oocytes is capable of arresting cell cycle progression in response to unaligned kinetochores was discussed for a long time. It is known that abolishing SAC increases frequency of chromosome segregation errors and causes precocious entry into anaphase; SAC, therefore, seems to be essential for normal chromosome segregation in meiosis I. However, it was also reported that for anaphase-promoting complex (APC) activation, which is a prerequisite for entering anaphase; alignment of only a critical mass of kinetochores on equatorial plane is sufficient. This indicates that the function of SAC and of cooperating chromosome attachment correction mechanisms in oocytes is different from somatic cells. To analyze this phenomenon, we used live cell confocal microscopy to monitor chromosome movements, spindle formation, APC activation and polar body extrusion (PBE) simultaneously in individual oocytes at various time points during first meiotic division. Our results, using oocytes from aged animals and interspecific crosses, demonstrate that multiple unaligned kinetochores and severe congression defects are tolerated at the metaphase to anaphase transition, although such cells retain sensitivity to nocodazole. This indicates that checkpoint mechanisms, operating in oocytes at this point, are essential for accurate timing of APC activation in meiosis I, but they are insufficient in detection or correction of unaligned chromosomes, preparing thus conditions for propagation of the aneuploidy to the embryo.

• MeSH
• anafáze MeSH
• anafázi podporující komplex MeSH
• aneuploidie MeSH
• časosběrné zobrazování metody   MeSH
• histony genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• kinetochory metabolismus   MeSH
• komplexy ubikvitinligas genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• konfokální mikroskopie metody   MeSH
• kontrolní body M fáze buněčného cyklu MeSH
• metafáze MeSH
• mikroinjekce MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši MeSH
• oocyty cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• párování chromozomů * MeSH
• proteolýza MeSH
• savčí chromozomy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• savci MeSH
• segregace chromozomů * MeSH
• sekurin MeSH
• transportní proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• tubulin genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• anafázi podporující komplex MeSH
• histony MeSH
• komplexy ubikvitinligas MeSH
• sekurin MeSH
• transportní proteiny MeSH
• tubulin MeSH