TY - JOUR
T1 - Masking and unmasking maternal mRNA
T2 - The role of polyadenylation, transcription, splicing, and nuclear history
AU - Meric, Funda
AU - Searfoss, Anjanette M.
AU - Wormington, Michael
AU - Wolffef, Alan P.
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - We establish that masked mRNAs synthesized from exogenous plasmid templates microinjected into the nuclei of Xenopus oocytes are translationally activated (unmasked) on oocyte maturation concomitant with polyadenylation. Synthetic mRNA injected into the cytoplasm of the oocyte is translated over an order of magnitude more efficiently than is the cognate mRNA synthesized in vivo. Both mRNA synthesized in vivo and mRNA microinjected into the oocyte cytoplasm require a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element in the 3'-untranslated region to activate translation on maturation. Although polyadenylation upon oocyte maturation can relieve the translational repression of mRNA synthesized in vivo, the excision of an intron within the nucleus does not relieve repression. We suggest that the translational repression coupled to the transcription process will more effectively repress inappropriate gene expression in the oocyte and offer the potential to achieve a wider range of gene regulation.
AB - We establish that masked mRNAs synthesized from exogenous plasmid templates microinjected into the nuclei of Xenopus oocytes are translationally activated (unmasked) on oocyte maturation concomitant with polyadenylation. Synthetic mRNA injected into the cytoplasm of the oocyte is translated over an order of magnitude more efficiently than is the cognate mRNA synthesized in vivo. Both mRNA synthesized in vivo and mRNA microinjected into the oocyte cytoplasm require a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element in the 3'-untranslated region to activate translation on maturation. Although polyadenylation upon oocyte maturation can relieve the translational repression of mRNA synthesized in vivo, the excision of an intron within the nucleus does not relieve repression. We suggest that the translational repression coupled to the transcription process will more effectively repress inappropriate gene expression in the oocyte and offer the potential to achieve a wider range of gene regulation.
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U2 - 10.1074/jbc.271.48.30804
DO - 10.1074/jbc.271.48.30804
M3 - Article
C2 - 8940061
AN - SCOPUS:0029807469
SN - 0021-9258
VL - 271
SP - 30804
EP - 30810
JO - Journal of Biological Chemistry
JF - Journal of Biological Chemistry
IS - 48
ER -