Maternal and embryonic provenance of a sea urchin embryo transcription factor, SpZ12-1.
SpZ12-1 is a zinc-finger transcription factor. Previous work has indicated that this factor functions late in embryogenesis as a spatial transcriptional repressor. We show here that this factor is present in significant quantities even in unfertilized egg cytoplasm, and in similar quantities in mesenchyme blastula-stage embryo cytoplasm. Taken together with earlier measurements of Calzone and associates, our observations indicate that SpZ12-1 enters the embryonic nuclei between late cleavage and mesenchyme blastula stages. A low-prevalence mRNA encoding SpZ12-1 is also present throughout development. Translation of this mRNA could, however, easily account for the complete complement of SpZ12-1 protein in the embryo, as estimated from its DNA binding activity. SpZ12-1 probably functions at several developmental stages and is evidently of both maternal and embryonic provenance.
Wang
D G
DG
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA.
Britten
R J
RJ
Davidson
E H
EH
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000737:chemistry; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D010063:Ovum / Q000737:chemistry; D015347:RNA Probes; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000196:embryology*; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000737:chemistry; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015347:RNA Probes; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors