Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Effective Oral RNA Interference RNAi Administration to Adult Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes
07:48

Effective Oral RNA Interference RNAi Administration to Adult Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes

Published on: March 1, 2022

3.8K

Selective degradation of cyclin B1 mRNA in rat oocytes by RNA interference (RNAi)

Shlomi Lazar1, Eran Gershon, Nava Dekel

  • 1Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology
|August 5, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Maturation-promoting factor (MPF) is essential for Mos translation in rat oocytes. MPF activity is required for c-mos mRNA polyadenylation, Mos accumulation, and MAPK activation, ensuring meiotic progression.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Reproductive biology

Background:

  • Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) maintains oocyte meiotic arrest by inhibiting maturation-promoting factor (MPF) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation.
  • Mos protein upregulates MAPK activity in oocytes, and its translation is negatively regulated by cAMP via protein kinase A (PKA).
  • Previous studies indicated that Mos translation is linked to c-mos mRNA polyadenylation and suppressed by PKA-mediated cAMP action.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To definitively establish the role of MPF in regulating Mos translation in rat oocytes.
  • To investigate the necessity of MPF activity for c-mos mRNA polyadenylation and subsequent Mos accumulation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) to specifically inhibit gene expression and reduce MPF activity in rat oocytes.
  • Introduced cyclin B1 dsRNA to deplete cyclin B1 mRNA and protein, thereby ablating MPF activity.
  • Assessed c-mos mRNA polyadenylation, Mos protein levels, and MAPK activation in oocytes with inhibited MPF.

Main Results:

  • Depletion of cyclin B1 via dsRNA effectively reduced MPF activity in rat oocytes.
  • Oocytes with low MPF activity failed to elongate the poly(A) tail of c-mos mRNA.
  • Inhibition of MPF led to a lack of Mos accumulation and subsequent inability to activate MAPK.

Conclusions:

  • Active MPF is a critical requirement for the polyadenylation of c-mos mRNA in rat oocytes.
  • MPF positively regulates Mos translation, which is essential for MAPK activation and meiotic progression.

More Related Videos

RNA Interference in Ticks09:06

RNA Interference in Ticks

Published on: January 20, 2011

18.6K
Visualizing RNA Localization in Xenopus Oocytes07:06

Visualizing RNA Localization in Xenopus Oocytes

Published on: January 14, 2010

12.1K

Related Concept Videos

RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
28.0K
Regulated Protein Degradation02:58

Regulated Protein Degradation

It is vital to regulate the activity of enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic proteins inside the cell. This can be achieved either through creating a balance between their rate of synthesis and degradation or regulating the intrinsic activity of the protein. Both these regulation mechanisms play an essential role in the normal functioning of cells.
Protein degradation plays two important roles in the cells. It helps to protect cells from misfolded or damaged proteins before they lead to a...
8.8K
Proteins: From Genes to Degradation02:11

Proteins: From Genes to Degradation

Within a biological system, the DNA encodes the RNA, and the nucleotide sequence in the RNA further defines the amino acid sequence in the protein. This is referred to as “The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology” - a term coined by Francis Crick.  Central dogma is a firm principle in biology that defines the flow of genetic information within any life form. The two fundamental steps in central dogma are - transcription and translation.
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA...
14.5K
Nuclear Export of mRNA02:31

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
8.8K
pre-mRNA Processing02:01

pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA.
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a “cap” to the 5’ end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5’ phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached to it (7-Methyl...
57.4K
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing02:41

Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
8.2K