Mei4p coordinates the onset of meiosis I by regulating cdc25+ in fission yeast.

The kinase Cdc2p is a central regulator of entry into and progression through nuclear division during mitosis and meiosis in eukaryotes. Cdc2p is activated at the onset of mitosis by dephosphorylation on tyrosine-15, the phosphorylation status of which is determined mainly by the kinase Wee1p and the phosphatase Cdc25p. In fission yeast, the forkhead-type transcription factor Mei4p is required for expression of many genes during meiosis, with mei4 mutant cells arresting before meiosis I.