NCBI Summary:
This gene encodes a protein that is highly similar to yeast Nuf2, a component of a conserved protein complex associated with the centromere. Yeast Nuf2 disappears from the centromere during meiotic prophase when centromeres lose their connection to the spindle pole body, and plays a regulatory role in chromosome segregation. The encoded protein is found to be associated with centromeres of mitotic HeLa cells, which suggests that this protein is a functional homolog of yeast Nuf2. Alternatively spliced transcript variants that encode the same protein have been described. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
General function
Chromosome organization
Comment
Cellular localization
Nuclear
Comment
Ovarian function
Comment
Expression regulated by
Comment
Ovarian localization
Oocyte
Comment
Nuf2 is required for chromosome segregation during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. Zhang T et al. (2015) Nuf2 plays an important role in kinetochore-microtubule attachment and thus is involved in regulation of the spindle assembly checkpoint in mitosis. In this study, we examined the localization and function of Nuf2 during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. Myc6-Nuf2 mRNA injection and immunofluorescent staining showed that Nuf2 localized to kinetochores from germinal vesicle breakdown to metaphase I stages, while it disappeared from the kinetochores at the anaphase I stage, but relocated to kinetochores at the MII stage. Overexpression of Nuf2 caused defective spindles, misaligned chromosomes, and activated spindle assembly checkpoint, and thus inhibited chromosome segregation and metaphase-anaphase transition in oocyte meiosis. Conversely, precocious polar body extrusion was observed in the presence of misaligned chromosomes and abnormal spindle formation in Nuf2 knock-down oocytes, causing aneuploidy. Our data suggest that Nuf2 is a critical regulator of meiotic cell cycle progression in mammalian oocytes.//////////////////