MYT1 - A MEMBRANE-ASSOCIATED INHIBITORY KINASE THAT PHOSPHORYLATES CDC2 ON BOTH THREONINE-14 AND TYROSINE-15

Cdc2 is the cyclin-depefident kinase that controls entry of cells into mitosis. Phosphorylation of Cdc2 on threonine-14 and tyrosine-15 inhibits the activity of the enzyme and prevents premature initiation of mitosis. Although Wee1 has been identified as the kinase that phosphorylates tyrosine-15 in various organisms, the threonine-14-specific kinase has not been isolated. A complementary DNA was cloned from Xenopus that encodes Myt1, a member of the Wee1 family that was discovered io phosphorylate Cdc2 efficiently on both threonine-14 and tyrosine-15. Myt1 is a membrane-associated protein that contains a putative transmembrane segment. Immunodepletion studies suggested that Myt1 is the predominant threonine-14-specific kinase in Xenopus egg extracts, Myt1 activity is highly regulated during the cell cycle, suggesting that this relative of Wee1 plays a role in mitotic control.