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Cyclin E/Cdk2 is required for sperm maturation, but not DNA replication, in early sea urchin embryos
Author(s) -
Schnackenberg Bradley J.,
Palazzo Robert E.,
Marzluff William F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.20291
Subject(s) - biology , sea urchin , embryo , sperm , microbiology and biotechnology , dna replication , replication (statistics) , dna , genetics , virology
The cell cycle is driven by the activity of cyclin/cdk complexes. In somatic cells, cyclin E/cdk2 oscillates throughout the cell cycle and has been shown to promote S‐phase entry and initiation of DNA replication. In contrast, cyclin E/cdk2 activity remains constant throughout the early embryonic development of the sea urchin and localizes to the sperm nucleus following fertilization. We now show that cyclin E localization to the sperm nucleus following fertilization is not unique to the sea urchin, but also occurs in the surf clam, and inhibition of cyclin E/cdk2 activity by roscovitine inhibits the morphological changes indicative of male pronuclear maturation in sea urchin zygotes. Finally, we show that inhibition of cyclin E/cdk2 activity does not block DNA replication in the early cleavage cycles of the sea urchin. We conclude that cyclin E/cdk2 activity is required for male pronuclear maturation, but not for initiation of DNA replication in early sea urchin development. genesis 45:282–291, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.