Feb 2024 Marston Lab - EMBO Authors Image Quantitative proteomics was carried out on samples of budding yeast undergoing the meiotic divisions synchronously. The dynamics of thousands of proteins and phospho-sites were quantified and motif analysis revealed two rounds of Cdc28Cdk1 and Cdc5Polo kinase motif phosphorylation. In the absence of the meiosis-specific protein Spo13, only a single division occurs and the bi-modal pattern of Cdc28Cdk1 and Cdc5Polo kinase motif phosphorylation is disrupted in a subset of sites. Koch, L.B., Spanos, C., Kelly, V., Ly, T., and Marston, A.L Summary by Jenna Hare, Bird Lab Meiosis is the process that produces the sex cells needed for successful reproduction. It involves two sequential cycles of division, where in each cell cycle the cell is divided into two cells. The processes of meiosis and mitosis differ, but little is known about how cells are programmed to undergo the extra cycle in meiosis. Therefore, the Marston Lab have researched the molecular dynamics of this process further. Their research uses budding yeast, a great model for studying the cell cycle as in this species, cell division can be easily manipulated to investigate the role of various proteins within it. The stages of the cell cycle are tightly controlled by a group of proteins called cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). These proteins add phosphate groups onto other working proteins, in a reversible process called phosphorylation. Phosphorylation changes the activity levels of proteins during the cycle, ensuring it is followed in the correct order. The Marston lab investigated these phosphoproteomic changes in more detail. They focused on a master regulator protein of meiosis called Spo13. Using proteomic techniques and specialised proteomic analysis, they showed how Spo13 directs the action of two key cell cycle proteins, named Cdc5Polo and Cdc28Cdk1, to phosphorylate other proteins during different stages of meiosis. Further analysis even found the specific regions of the proteins that are phosphorylated by the instructions of Spo13. This work has inspired a myriad of hypotheses into the details of these phosphorylation mechanisms and allows for further research in this field. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of meiosis will help to understand and find treatments for fertility issues and developmental disorders in humans in the future. Related Links Journal URL Marston Lab Website DOI This article was published on 2024-06-17
