CGC Bibliography Paper 5198

Two zinc finger proteins, OMA-1 and OMA-2, are redundantly required for oocyte maturation in C. elegans.

Detwiler MR, Reuben M, Li X, Rogers E, Lin R

Medline:

11702779

Citation:

Developmental Cell 1: 187-199 2001

Type:

ARTICLE

Genes:

air-2 gem-3 glp-4 lin-3 mex-1 mex-5 mex-6 oma-1 oma-2 pie-1 pos-1 wee-1.3

Abstract:

Oocytes are released from meiotic prophase I arrest through a process termed oocyte maturation. We present here a genetic characterization of oocyte maturation, using C. elegans as a model system. We show that two TIS11 zinc finger-containing proteins, OMA-1 and OMA-2, express specifically in maturing oocytes and function redundantly in oocyte maturation. Oocytes in oma-1;oma-2 mutants initiate but do not complete maturation and arrest at a defined point in prophase I. Two maturation signal-induced molecular events, including the maintenance of activated MAP kinase, do not occur in Oma oocytes. The Oma prophase arrest is released by inactivation of a MYT-1-like kinase, suggesting that OMA-1 and OMA-2 function upstream of MYT-1 as positive regulators of prophase progression during meiotic maturation.