The deadenylation conferred by the 3' untranslated region of a developmentally controlled mRNA in Xenopus embryos is switched to polyadenylation by deletion of a short sequence element.
The maternal Xenopus Eg mRNAs are adenylated and translated in the mature oocyte and then, after fertilization, are deadenylated and released from polysomes. Therefore, after fertilization, a change occurs in the cellular mechanisms that control mRNA adenylation. In the study reported here, we show that the 3' untranslated region of Eg2 mRNA contains a cis-acting element that is required for the deadenylation of chimeric RNAs after fertilization. This cis-acting element is contained within a single 17-nucleotide portion of the Eg2 mRNA. Disruption of this deadenylation element allows adenylation of the chimeric transcripts in the embryo. Therefore, this cis-acting element is part of the sequence information required for the developmental switch from adenylation to deadenylation of the maternal Eg2 mRNA in Xenopus embryos.
Bouvet
P
P
Department de Biologie et Génétique du Développement, URA 256 CNRS, Université de Rennes, France.
Omilli
F
F
Arlot-Bonnemains
Y
Y
Legagneux
V
V
Roghi
C
C
Bassez
T
T
Osborne
H B
HB
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005306:Fertilization; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011061:Poly A / Q000378:metabolism*; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011061:Poly A