Entwicklung primordialer Keimzellen in Xenopus

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A primary cell asymmetry, as defined by the animal-vegetal axis in Xenopus oocytes, defines the molecular basis for germ cell specification during early embryogenesis. A small number of maternal mRNAs has previously been reported to be specifically associated with the germ plasm at the vegetal pole of Xenopus oocytes. A general screen for vegetally localizing maternal mRNAs, that we have performed, has resulted in the identification of more than 50 novel vegetal mRNAs, a major portion of these being associated with the germ plasm. The primary aim of this proposal is to analyze the function of the proteins encoded by such maternal, vegetally localizing mRNAs in the context of germ cell specification and migration in Xenopus.