The etiology of most congenital problems remains unrecognized. Progress towards preventing developmental defects will ultimately depend on research directed at understanding basic mechanisms. It is now clear that for a variety of organisms, the critical events of early embryogenesis are dependent upon information synthesized and sequestered during the production of the egg. One source of this information is a large complex pool of gene transcripts. Recently, this laboratory has discovered a small group of mRNAs that are specifically localized to the vegetal pole of frog eggs. Since embryonic determination appears to be mediated by morphogenetic substances specifically localized in the cytoplasm of the egg, it is important to characterize these localized mRNAs and to determine their role in development. Two known determinants, those specifying the germ cell lineages and those specifying the dorsal axial structures, also reside in the vegetal region of the egg. In this proposal experiments are outlined to [1] isolate molecular clones encoding regionally localized maternal mRNAs; [2] determine the developmental history of these localized mRNAs; [3] determine the cellular and subcellular fate of localized maternal mRNAs during normal development and in double axis embryos; [4] determine if the nucleotide sequence of vegetal pole specific gene transcripts contains the information necessary or sufficient for localization. The general strategy involves using polyA+RNA isolated from the animal, middle, and vegetal regions of the Xenopus egg to select for recombinant DNA clones containing localized maternal sequences. These clones will be used in blot and in situ hybridization procedures to follow their developmental fate both quantitatively and at the cellular level. Microinjection of vegetal pole specific transcripts into the animal pole of eggs will yield information concerning the mechanism of message localization. These proposed studies should provide the framework necessary for understanding the role of localized maternal mRNAs in development.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM033932-02
Application #
3284136
Study Section
Molecular Biology Study Section (MBY)
Project Start
1984-08-01
Project End
1987-07-31
Budget Start
1985-08-01
Budget End
1986-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1985
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
001910777
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Mei, Wenyan; Jin, Zhigang; Lai, Fangfang et al. (2013) Maternal Dead-End1 is required for vegetal cortical microtubule assembly during Xenopus axis specification. Development 140:2334-44
Lai, Fangfang; Singh, Amar; King, Mary Lou (2012) Xenopus Nanos1 is required to prevent endoderm gene expression and apoptosis in primordial germ cells. Development 139:1476-86
Luo, Xueting; Nerlick, Steve; An, Weijun et al. (2011) Xenopus germline nanos1 is translationally repressed by a novel structure-based mechanism. Development 138:589-98
Lai, Fangfang; Zhou, Yi; Luo, Xueting et al. (2011) Nanos1 functions as a translational repressor in the Xenopus germline. Mech Dev 128:153-63
Venkatarama, Thiagarajan; Lai, Fangfang; Luo, Xueting et al. (2010) Repression of zygotic gene expression in the Xenopus germline. Development 137:651-60
Rodrigues, Claudia O; Nerlick, Steve T; White, Elsie L et al. (2008) A Myc-Slug (Snail2)/Twist regulatory circuit directs vascular development. Development 135:1903-11
Song, Hye-Won; Cauffman, Karen; Chan, Agnes P et al. (2007) Hermes RNA-binding protein targets RNAs-encoding proteins involved in meiotic maturation, early cleavage, and germline development. Differentiation 75:519-28
Lewis, Raymond A; Mowry, Kimberly L (2007) Ribonucleoprotein remodeling during RNA localization. Differentiation 75:507-18
King, Mary Lou; Messitt, Timothy J; Mowry, Kimberly L (2005) Putting RNAs in the right place at the right time: RNA localization in the frog oocyte. Biol Cell 97:19-33
Machado, Rachel J; Moore, Wendy; Hames, Richard et al. (2005) Xenopus Xpat protein is a major component of germ plasm and may function in its organisation and positioning. Dev Biol 287:289-300

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