Isolation of Xenopus oocytes

Xenopus oocytes are obtained from sexually mature females by surgically removing parts of the ovary. The operation is not fatal and can be performed on an anesthetized frog several times during its lifetime. However, a recovery period of 2 wk is recommended between operations. A careful record of all operations performed, including details of oocyte quality, should be kept. A frog that produces one good batch of oocytes; e.g., those that translate injected messenger RNAs (mRNAs) efficiently, should be recorded and used again, because oocyte quality is generally frog-dependent.