Transcriptional Regulation of Oocyte-Specific Genes

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An oocyte undergoes a prolonged developmental process. From a primordial germ cell, oocytes develop into fertilizable eggs with specialized organelles and structures that function uniquely at fertilization. The objective of this research is to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the oocyte developmental program by examining transcriptional controls of oocyte-specific genes. I hypothesize that oocytes utilize a transcriptional network that controls the coordinated expression of oocyte-specific genes and that some of these regulatory factors will be selective for oocytes. To test this hypothesis, I will examine c/s-regulatory sequences within promoters of several oocyte-specific genes, such as those encoding unique oocyte structural proteins, enzymes, and transcription factors that are selectively enriched in the oocyte. Computational algorithms will be used to identify conserved cis-elements within oocyte gene promoters, followed by in vivo testing of transcriptional activity using reporter gene constructs. Trans-acting factors with putative binding sites within cis-elements will be identified by computational, mutational analysis, biochemical, and molecular genetic approaches. Defining transcription complexes that regulate several oocyte gene promoters will create a paradigm in gene regulatory networks that orchestrates the development of oocytes and further our knowledge in reproductive biology.