Mechanism of maternal mRNA stored in oocytes

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25440102
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental biology
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University
• Principal Investigator: Chiba Kazuyoshi お茶の水女子大学, 基幹研究院, 教授 (70222130)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: mRNA / ウリジル化 / サイクリンB / 卵母細胞 / 母性RNA / ホルモン / ポリA

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using starfish oocytes, we found that cyclin B mRNAs with short poly(A) tails were uridylated and that hormonal stimulation induced deuridylation and poly(A) elongation. When we injected synthetic RNAs of cyclin B into oocytes prior to hormonal stimulation, uridylated RNAs were as stable as non-uridylated RNAs. Following hormonal stimulation, the 3’ termini of short poly(A) tails of synthesized RNAs containing oligo(U) tails were trimmed, and their poly(A) tails were subsequently elongated. These results indicate that uridylation in cyclin B mRNA of starfish oocytes does not mediate mRNA decay; instead, hormonal stimulation induces partial degradation of uridylated short poly(A) tails in the 3’ to 5’ direction, followed by poly(A) elongation. Oligo(U) tails may be involved in translational inactivation of mRNAs.

Free Research Field

発生生物学、細胞生物学