Polarity of<i>Xenopus</i>Oocytes and Early Embryos

Kloc, Małgorzata

doi:10.1002/9781118492833.ch4

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…In contrast to conventional cells, the unfertilized Xenopus oocytes are not unidirectional and have a strong degree of polarity. This polarity reflects that the maternal factors stored in the form of RNAs and proteins has a polarized distribution along the animalvegetal (A-V) axis within the oocyte cytoplasm [10]. In addition, the polarity of the Xenopus oocyte also affects many cellular components.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluorescence lifetime imaging reveals heterogeneous functional distribution of eGFP expressed in Xenopus oocytes

Zeng

Grabowska

Shahverdi

et al. 2019

Methods Appl. Fluoresc.

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The oocytes from Xenopus laevis are well known for their polarity, presenting a distinct animal and vegetal pole. Other heterogeneities are less known. To study the heterogeneity of the Xenopus oocyte, we expressed eGFP and analyzed the protein distribution with fluorescence lifetime microscopy. The vegetal pole exhibited higher levels of fluorescence, than the animal pole. However, the fluorescence lifetimes between the two areas were indistinguishable, suggesting similar environments. In contrast, we observed a substantial and gradual decrease in the fluorescence lifetime from 2.9 ns to 2.6 ns as slices approached the periphery. This has an important implication for future oocyte studies as it demonstrates the environment inside the oocyte is not uniform and might affect the fluorescence intensity. As a result, it cannot be assumed that the observed fluorescence intensity reflects the expression of the proteins but might reflect the environment within the oocyte.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%