Entwicklung primordialer Keimzellen in Xenopus

在非洲爪哇卵母细胞中，初级细胞的不对称性由动物-植物轴定义，定义了早期胚胎发育中生殖细胞指定的分子基础。此前有报道称，一小部分母体mRNAs与非洲爪哇卵母细胞营养极的种质相关。我们对植物定位母体mRNAs进行的一般筛选，已经鉴定了50多个新的植物mRNAs，其中很大一部分与种质相关。这一建议的主要目的是分析由这种母性的、植物定位的mRNAs编码的蛋白质在非洲爪哇生殖细胞规范和迁移的背景下的功能。

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.