Expression and activity of p40MO15, the catalytic subunit of cdk-activating kinase, during Xenopus oogenesis and embryogenesis.

Threonine 161 phosphorylation of p34cdc2 and its equivalent threonine 160 in p33cdk2 by cdk-activating kinase (CAK) is essential for the activation of these cyclin-dependent kinases. We have studied the expression and associated kinase activity of p40MO15, the catalytic subunit of CAK, during Xenopus oogenesis, meiotic maturation, and early development to understand in more detail how cdk kinases are regulated during these events. We find that p40MO15 is a stable protein with a half-life > 16 h that is accumulated during oogenesis. p40MO15 protein and its associated CAK activity are localized predominantly to the germinal vesicle; however, a small but significant proportion is found in the cytoplasm. The amount of p40MO15 detected in stage VI oocytes remains unchanged through meiotic maturation, fertilization, and early embryogenesis. Significantly, p40MO15 was found to be constitutively active during oogenesis, meiotic maturation, and the rapid mitotic cycles of early development. This suggests that regulation of p34cdc2 and p33cdk2 activity during cell cycle progression does not involve changes in the level or activity of p40MO15/CAK.