Inactivation of the p34 cdc2 -Cyclin B Complex by the Human WEE1 Tyrosine Kinase

Entry into mitosis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is negatively regulated by the wee1+ gene, which encodes a protein kinase with serine-, theonine-, and tyrosine-phosphorylating activities. The wee1+ kinase negatively regulates mitosis by phosphorylating p34cdc2 on tyrosine 15, thereby inactivating the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex. The human homolog of the wee1+ gene (WEE1Hu) was overproduced in bacteria and assayed in an in vitro system. Unlike its fission yeast homolog, the product of the WEE1Hu gene encoded a tyrosine-specific protein kinase. The human WEE1 kinase phosphorylated the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex on tyrosine 15 but not on threonine 14 in vitro and inactivated the p34cdc2-cyclin B kinase. This inhibition was reversed by the human Cdc25C protein, which catalyzed the dephosphorylation of p34cdc2. These results indicate that the product of the WEE1Hu gene directly regulates the p34cdc2-cyclin B complex in human cells and that a kinase other than that encoded by WEE1Hu phosphorylates p34cdc2 on threonine 14.