Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, we have prepared cell-free extracts which accurately transcribe cloned homologous 5S RNA genes in vitro. These extracts also transcribe cloned tRNA genes, and actively process the resulting products. Unlike tRNA genes, transcription of 5S DNA shows some species specificity: C. elegans extracts do not transcribe Xenopus 5S RNA genes,...

Xenopus has played a very important role in the mission of NIDDK for a long time. Xenopus oocytes have been and still are an invaluable system to study the conductive properties of many channels and transporters expressed on renal epithelial cells. Many recent technological advances such as antisense morpholino oligomers for gene knockdowns, transgenic GFP lines for imaging and the genome infor...

Cytoplasmic extracts of meiotically mature mouse oocytes were injected into immature Xenopus laevis oocytes, which underwent germinal vesicle breakdown within 2 h. Germinal vesicle breakdown was not inhibited by incubation of the Xenopus oocytes in cycloheximide (20 micrograms/ml). Identically prepared extracts of meiotically immature mouse oocytes, arrested at the germinal vesicle stage by dib...

Recently, using the frog Xenopus laevis as a model system, we showed that transcription factor Rfx2 coordinates many genes involved in ciliogenesis and cell movement in multiciliated cells (Chung et al., 2014). To our knowledge, it was the first paper to utilize the genomic resources, including genome sequences and interim gene annotations, from the ongoing Xenopus laevis genome project. For re...

The FLRT family of transmembrane proteins has been implicated in the regulation of FGF signalling, neurite outgrowth, homotypic cell sorting and cadherin-mediated adhesion. In an expression screen we identified the Netrin receptors Unc5B and Unc5D as high-affinity FLRT3 interactors. Upon overexpression, Unc5B phenocopies FLRT3 and both proteins synergize in inducing cell deadhesion in Xenopus e...

Our previous work showed that Xenopus yolk platelets exhibited, when reacted with actin antibodies or fluorescent DNase 1, a shiny halo of fluorescence, which revealed an external actin cover around the platelets themselves. This structure was named the 'actin-shell'. Now we have demonstrated the actin-containing coat of Xenopus yolk platelets by agglutination tests, using anti-Xenopus-muscle-a...

RNAs that localize to the vegetal cortex during Xenopus laevis oogenesis have been reported to function in germ layer patterning, axis determination, and development of the primordial germ cells. Here we report on the genome-wide, comparative analysis of differentially localizing RNAs in Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis oocytes, revealing a surprisingly weak degree of conservation in respe...

The Xenopus origin recognition complex is essential for chromosomal DNA replication in cell-free extracts. We have immunopurified the Xenopus origin recognition complex with anti-Xorc2 antibodies and analyzed its composition and properties. Xorc2 (p63) is specifically associated with Xorc1 (p115) and up to four additional polypeptides (p81, p78, p45, and p40). The cDNA encoding p81 is highly ho...

lnjection of Xenopus oocytes with poly(A)+ mRNA isolated from different plants (maize, cucumber, and squash) results in the appearance of a voltageand time'dependent, potassium-selective, outward current that is similar to the outwardrectifying potassium current recorded in many higher plant cells. Maize shoots were found to be especially enriched in mRNA encoding such activity. A cDNA library ...