| First Author | Wei Z | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 4029 |
| PubMed ID | 30279413 | Mgi Jnum | J:270255 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6267505 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-018-06510-9 |
| Citation | Wei Z, et al. (2018) Cdk1 inactivation induces post-anaphase-onset spindle migration and membrane protrusion required for extreme asymmetry in mouse oocytes. Nat Commun 9(1):4029 |
| abstractText | Female meiotic divisions are extremely asymmetric, producing large oocytes and small polar bodies (PBs). In mouse oocytes, the spindle relocates to the cortex before anaphase of meiosis I (MI). It is presumed that by displacing the future midzone, pre-anaphase spindle repositioning alone ensures asymmetry. But how subsequent anaphase events might contribute to asymmetric PB extrusion (PBE) is unknown. Here, we find that inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) induces anaphase and simultaneously triggers cytoplasmic formin-mediated F-actin polymerisation that propels the spindle into the cortex causing it to protrude while anaphase progresses. Significantly, if post-anaphase-onset spindle migration fails, protrusion and asymmetry are severely threatened even with intact pre-anaphase migration. Conversely, post-anaphase migration can completely compensate for failed pre-anaphase migration. These data identify a cell-cycle-triggered phase of spindle displacement occurring after anaphase-onset, which, by inducing protrusion, is necessary for extreme asymmetry in mouse oocytes and uncover a pathway for maximising unequal division. |