RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Mos Inhibits Phosphatase Activity JF Science's STKE JO Sci. STKE FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP tw8 OP tw8 DO 10.1126/stke.2000.59.tw8 VO 2000 IS 59 YR 2000 UL http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2000/59/tw8.abstract AB The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase (MEKK or MAPKKK) Mos and the downstream kinase MAPK are important for metaphase II arrest in Xenopus eggs. Verlhac et al. investigated whether other kinases could substitute for Mos and its effectors. Constitutively activated forms of Raf (another MEKK) or MEK (the kinase immediately downstream of Mos that is responsible for directly phosphorylating MAPK) were unable to activate MAPK in Mos-/- eggs, unless in the presence of okadaic acid, a serine-threonine phosphatase inhibitor. Coexpression of constitutively activated MEK and a MAPK mutant that is resistant to dephosphorylation led to demonstrable MAPK activation and restored metaphase II arrest in Mos-/- eggs. These results suggest that in addition to activating MAPK through MEK, Mos is able to sustain MAPK activation by inhibiting protein serine-threonine phosphatase activity. Verlhac, M.-H., Lefebvre, C., Kubiak, J.Z., Umbhauer, M., Rassinier, P., Colledge, W., and Maro, B. (2000) Mos activates MAP kinase in mouse oocytes through two opposite pathways. EMBO J. 19: 6065-6074. [Abstract] [Full Text]