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Apparent mitochondrial asymmetry in Xenopus eggs
Author(s) -
Voloditalia,
Denegre James M.,
Mowry Kimberly L.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.10275
Subject(s) - xenopus , biology , cytoplasm , mitochondrion , microbiology and biotechnology , cloning (programming) , polarity (international relations) , salientia , cell , genetics , gene , computer science , programming language
Cell polarity is manifest along the animal/vegetal axis in eggs of the frog, Xenopus laevis . Along this axis, maternal cytoplasmic components are asymmetrically distributed and are thought to underlie specification of distinct cell fates. To ascertain the molecular identities of such cytoplasmic components, we have used a monoclonal antibody that specifically stains the vegetal hemisphere of Xenopus eggs. The antigenic protein Vp67 (vegetal protein of 67 kDa) was identified through purification and cloning as a Xenopus homolog of the mitochondrial protein dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase, a component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. The identification of Vp67 as a mitochondrial protein could indicate that populations of mitochondria are asymmetrically distributed in Xenopus eggs. Developmental Dynamics 226:654–662, © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.