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α‐spectrin has a stage‐specific asymmetrical localization during Xenopus oogenesis
Author(s) -
Carotenuto Rosa,
Vaccaro Maria Carmen,
Capriglione Teresa,
Petrucci Tamara Corinna,
Campanella Chiara
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2795(200002)55:2<229::aid-mrd13>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - xenopus , spectrin , biology , cytoskeleton , microbiology and biotechnology , oocyte , actin , complementary dna , cytoplasm , oogenesis , actin cytoskeleton , in situ hybridization , messenger rna , gene , genetics , embryo , cell
Xenopus oocyte organization largely depends upon the cytoskeleton distribution, which is dynamically regulated during oogenesis. An actin‐based cytoskeleton is present in the cortex starting from stage 1. At stages 4–6, a complex and polarized cytoskeleton network forms in the cytoplasm. In this paper, we studied the distribution of spectrin, a molecule that has binding sites for several cytoskeletal proteins and is responsible for the determination of regionalized membrane territories. The localization of α‐spectrin mRNA was analyzed during Xenopus oogenesis by in situ hybridization on both whole mount and sections, utilizing a cDNA probe encoding a portion of Xenopus α‐spectrin. Furthermore, an antibody against mammalian α‐spectrin was used to localize the protein. Our results showed a stage‐dependent mRNA localization and suggested that spectrin may participate in the formation of specific domains in oocytes at stages 1 and 2 and 4–6. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 55:229–239, 2000 . © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.