Behavior of cyclin B and cyclin B-dependent kinase during starfish oocyte meiosis reinitiation: evidence for non-identity with MPF.

We reconsider the notion of MPF initiation, which is generally viewed as the prerequisite production of a small cdc2-cyclin B kinase activity sufficient to trigger its own self-amplification. Using starfish oocytes as a tool, we show that H1 kinase activation is not explosive, but rather is a gradual process in both time and space. We show further that the production of even a large H1 kinase activity, either in MPF-microinjected or in hormone-stimulated oocytes, is not sufficient to trigger MPF amplification.