Open AccessThree genes under different developmental control encode elongation factor 1-α inXenopus laevis
Author(s) -
Marcellin Koffi Djè,
A Mazabraud,
Alain Viel,
Marc le Maire,
Hélène Denis,
Eric Crawford,
Donald D. Brown
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/18.12.3489
Subject(s) - biology , xenopus , encode , gene , elongation factor , genetics , salientia , eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 1 , elongation , microbiology and biotechnology , rna , ribosome , materials science , ultimate tensile strength , metallurgy
We have cloned cDNAs encoding two variants of the elongation factor for protein synthesis in Xenopus laevis, called EF-1 alpha. One of these (42Sp50) is expressed exclusively in immature oocytes. It is one of two protein components of a 42S RNP particle that is very abundant in previtellogenic oocytes. The 42S RNP particle consists of various tRNAs, 5S RNA, 42Sp50 and a 5S RNA binding protein (42Sp43). A major function served by 42Sp50 appears to be the storage of tRNAs for later use in oogenesis and early embryogenesis. The second EF-1 alpha variant (EF-1 alpha O) is expressed mainly in oocytes but transiently in early embryogenesis as well. Its mRNA cannot be detected after neurulation in somatic cells. EF-1 alpha O is closely related to a third EF-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha S), discovered originally by Krieg et al. (1). EF-1 alpha S is expressed at low levels in oocytes but actively in somatic cells. The latter two proteins are very similar to known eukaryotic EF-1 alpha from other organisms and presumably function in their respective cell types to support protein synthesis.