Association of p34cdc2 and cyclin B1 during meiotic maturation in porcine oocytes.

The relative levels and association of p34cdc2 and cyclin B1 have been determined in pig oocytes during meiotic progression from G2 to metaphase II (MII). Fully grown G2-arrested porcine oocytes contained large amounts of free p34cdc2 and extremely small amounts of p34cdc2-cyclin B1 complex which did not increase in amount during the GV stage. Cyclin B1 is not synthesized in measurable quantities until 23 hr after the start of maturation. During the first metaphase (MI) the amount of both cyclin B1 and the p34cdc2-cyclin B1 complex increased sharply until 35 hr. Thereafter the amount of the p34cdc2-cyclin B1 complex increased again to 45 hr, resulting in higher levels of the complex in MII than in MI. Moreover, three distinct migration forms of p34cdc2 were detected in pig oocytes by immunoblotting with anti-PSTAIRE antibody, and most of the cyclin B1-associated p34cdc2 was detected in the lower band in MI oocytes but migrated in the second band during MII. These results suggest that cyclin B1 levels in porcine oocytes differ from those in starfish, clam, and Xenopus oocytes in which considerably higher concentrations of cyclin B1 appear to be present during the GV stage and that the nature of the association between p34cdc2 and cyclin B1 changes between the first and the second metaphase.