Short-term labour transitions and informality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America.

Unlabelled: Latin America was one of the regions hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper analyses, from a dynamic and comparative perspective, labour transitions triggered by the pandemic in six Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. Special attention is paid to transits around labour informality during this period.

xRic-8 is a GEF for Gsalpha and participates in maintaining meiotic arrest in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Immature stage VI Xenopus oocytes are arrested at the G(2)/M border of meiosis I until exposed to progesterone, which induces meiotic resumption through a non-genomic mechanism. One of the earliest events produced by this hormone is inhibition of the plasma membrane enzyme adenylyl cyclase (AC), with the concomitant drop in intracellular cAMP levels and reinitiation of the cell cycle. Recently Gsalpha and Gbetagamma have been shown to play an important role as positive regulators of Xenopus oocyte AC, maintaining the oocyte in the arrested state.

Classical Xenopus laevis progesterone receptor associates to the plasma membrane through its ligand-binding domain.

During the last decade, considerable evidence is accumulating that supports the view that the classic progesterone receptor (xPR-1) is mediating Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation through a non-genomic mechanism. Overexpression and depletion of oocyte xPR-1 have been shown to accelerate and to block progesterone-induced oocyte maturation, respectively. In addition, rapid inhibition of plasma membrane adenylyl cyclase (AC) by the steroid hormone, supports the idea that xPR-1 should be localized at the oocyte plasma membrane.

Plasma membrane destination of the classical Xenopus laevis progesterone receptor accelerates progesterone-induced oocyte maturation.

Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation is induced by the steroid hormone progesterone through a non-genomic mechanism initiated at the cell membrane. Recently, two Xenopus oocyte progesterone receptors have been cloned; one is the classical progesterone receptor (xPR-1) involved in genomic actions and the other a putative seven-transmembrane-G-protein-couple receptor. Both receptors are postulated to be mediating the steroid-induced maturation process in the frog oocyte.