Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021359 (infertility)
 26,075 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

During meiosis, accurate coordination of the completion of homologous recombination and synaptonemal complex (SC) disassembly during the prophase to metaphase I (G2/MI) transition is essential to avoid aneuploid gametes and infertility. Previous studies have shown that kinase activity is required to promote meiotic prophase exit. The first step of the G2/MI transition is the disassembly of the central element components of the SC; however, the kinase(s) required to trigger this process remains unknown. Here we assess roles of polo-like kinases (PLKs) in mouse spermatocytes, both in vivo and during prophase exit induced ex vivo by the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. All four PLKs are expressed during the first wave of spermatogenesis. Only PLK1 (not PLK2-4) localizes to the SC during the G2/MI transition. The SC central element proteins SYCP1, TEX12 and SYCE1 are phosphorylated during the G2/MI transition. However, treatment of pachytene spermatocytes with the PLK inhibitor BI 2536 prevented the okadaic-acid-induced meiotic prophase exit and inhibited phosphorylation of the central element proteins as well as their removal from the SC. Phosphorylation assays in vitro demonstrated that PLK1, but not PLK2-4, phosphorylates central element proteins SYCP1 and TEX12. These findings provide mechanistic details of the first stage of SC disassembly in mammalian spermatocytes, and reveal that PLK-mediated phosphorylation of central element proteins is required for meiotic prophase exit.
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PMID:Polo-like kinase is required for synaptonemal complex disassembly and phosphorylation in mouse spermatocytes. 2285 38

The successful completion of meiosis is essential for all sexually reproducing organisms. The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a large proteinaceous structure that holds together homologous chromosomes during meiosis, providing the structural framework for meiotic recombination and crossover formation. Errors in SC formation are associated with infertility, recurrent miscarriage and aneuploidy. The current lack of molecular information about the dynamic process of SC assembly severely restricts our understanding of its function in meiosis. Here, we provide the first biochemical and structural analysis of an SC protein component and propose a structural basis for its function in SC assembly. We show that human SC proteins SYCE2 and TEX12 form a highly stable, constitutive complex, and define the regions responsible for their homotypic and heterotypic interactions. Biophysical analysis reveals that the SYCE2-TEX12 complex is an equimolar hetero-octamer, formed from the association of an SYCE2 tetramer and two TEX12 dimers. Electron microscopy shows that biochemically reconstituted SYCE2-TEX12 complexes assemble spontaneously into filamentous structures that resemble the known physical features of the SC central element (CE). Our findings can be combined with existing biological data in a model of chromosome synapsis driven by growth of SYCE2-TEX12 higher-order structures within the CE of the SC.
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PMID:Structural analysis of the human SYCE2-TEX12 complex provides molecular insights into synaptonemal complex assembly. 2287 Mar 93