Final answer:
The other name for Maturation Promoting Factor (MPF) is Mitosis Promoting Factor, which is a vital cell cycle regulator made of cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) subunits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The other name for Maturation Promoting Factor (MPF) is Mitosis Promoting Factor. MPF is a significant substance in the regulation of the cell cycle, specifically at the G2 checkpoint prior to mitosis or meiosis. It consists of two subunits: cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk). These subunits must be bound together to form an active kinase.
MPF's role is to signal a cell to commence mitosis or meiosis by provoking several critical events, such as chromatin condensation, nuclear envelope breakdown, and spindle fiber formation. It reaches a threshold concentration in G2 that triggers the cell to enter mitosis. The levels of cyclin, one of MPF's subunits, vary throughout the cell cycle, peaking at mitosis and falling thereafter, indicating its regulatory role in MPF activity. The MPF kinase activity is crucial for the progression of cell cycle checkpoints and has been a topic of extensive research leading up to the awarding of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to scientists involved in the discovery of these cell cycle regulatory molecules.