Polyadenylation of c-mos mRNA as a control point in Xenopus meiotic maturation.
c-mos protein, encoded by a proto-oncogene, is essential for the meiotic maturation of frog oocytes. Polyadenylation of c-mos messenger RNA is shown here to be a pivotal regulatory step in meiotic maturation. Maturation is prevented by selective amputation of polyadenylation signals from c-mos mRNA. Injection of a prosthetic RNA, which restores c-mos polyadenylation signals by base pairing to the amputated mRNA, rescues maturation and can stimulate translation in trans. Prosthetic RNAs may provide a general strategy by which to alter patterns of mRNA expression in vivo.
Sheets
M D
MD
Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, USA.
Wu
M
M
Wickens
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D011061:Poly A / Q000378:metabolism*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000502:physiology; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D017231:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mos / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014981:Xenopus
D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011061:Poly A; D011374:Progesterone; D004247:DNA; D017231:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mos