CDC25+ ENCODES A PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE THAT DEPHOSPHORYLATES P34CDC2

To determine how the human cdc25 gene product acts to regulate p34cdc2 at the G2 to M transition, we have overproduced the full-length protein (cdc25Hs) as well as several deletion mutants in bacteria as glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins. The wild-type cdc25Hs gene product was synthesized as an 80-kDa fusion protein (p80GST-cdc25) and was judged to be functional by several criteria: recombinant p80GST-cdc25 induced meiotic maturation of Xenopus oocytes in the presence of cycloheximide; p80GST cdc25 activated histone H1 kinase activity upon addition to extracts prepared from Xenopus oocytes; p80GST-cdc25 activated p34cdc2/cyclin B complexes (prematuration promoting factor) in immune complex kinase assays performed in vitro; p80GST-cdc25 stimulated the tyrosine dephosphorylation of p34cdc2/cyclin complexes isolated from Xenopus oocyte extracts as well as from overproducing insect cells; and p80GST-cdc25 hydrolyzed p-nitrophenylphosphate. In addition, deletion analysis defined a functional domain residing within the carboxy-terminus of the cdc25Hs protein. Taken together, these results suggest that the cdc25Hs protein is itself a phosphatase and that it may function directly in the tyrosine dephosphorylation and activation of p34cdc2 at the G2 to M transition.