Role of MAP kinase and myosin light chain kinase in chromosome-induced development of mouse egg polarity

During maturation, the mouse oocyte is transformed into a highly polarized egg, characterized by an actin cap and cortical granule-free domain (CGFD) overlying the meiotic spindle that is in close proximity to the cortex. The presence of spindle/chromosomes or microinjected sperm chromatin in the cortical region initiates this cortical reorganization, but the pathway is unknown. We report that cortical reorganization induced by microinjected sperm chromatin is blocked by inhibitors of microfilament assembly or disassembly. Active mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which becomes enriched in the region of sperm chromatin, is required for cortical reorganization, because microinjected sperm chromatin fails to induce cortical reorganization in Mos−/− eggs, which lack MAPK activity. Last, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), which can be directly phosphorylated and activated by MAPK, appears involved, because the MLCK inhibitors ML-7 and Peptide 18 prevent sperm chromatin-induced cortical reorganization. These results provide new insights into how cortical reorganization occurs independently of extracellular signals to generate egg polarity.