Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish
Published on: April 22, 2017
Zygotic regulation of maternal cyclin A1 and B2 mRNAs
Y Audic1, C Anderson, R Bhatty
1Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
Abstract:
At the midblastula transition, the Xenopus laevis embryonic cell cycle is remodeled from rapid alternations between S and M phases to become the complex adult cell cycle. Cell cycle remodeling occurs after zygotic transcription initiates and is accompanied by terminal downregulation of maternal cyclins A1 and B2. We report here that the disappearance of both cyclin A1 and B2 proteins is preceded by the rapid deadenylation of their mRNAs. A specific mechanism triggers this deadenylation. This mechanism depends upon discrete regions of the 3' untranslated regions and requires zygotic transcription. Together, these results strongly suggest that zygote-dependent deadenylation of cyclin A1 and cyclin B2 mRNAs is responsible for the downregulation of these proteins. These studies also raise the possibility that zygotic control of maternal cyclins plays a role in establishing the adult cell cycle.
Related Concept Videos
Positive Regulator Molecules
Meiosis II
Positive Regulator Molecules
Separation of Sister Chromatids
At the onset of anaphase, separase, a proteolytic enzyme, is...
Meiosis II
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...

