Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Xenopus laevis as a Model to Identify Translation Impairment
Published on: September 27, 2015
Polyamine levels during Xenopus laevis oogenesis: a role in oocyte competence to meiotic resumption
H B Osborne1, O Mulner-Lorillon, J Marot
1Laboratoire de Biologie et Génétique du Développement, CNRS URA 95, Université de Rennes I, France.
Abstract:
The results presented here show that a decrease in the concentration of total polyamines, due to a decrease in putrescine and spermine, occurs during oogenesis in Xenopus laevis. The microinjection of spermine or spermidine decreases the hormonal responsiveness (maturation) of the fully-grown oocytes. This effect is synergistic with that already described for the microinjection of casein kinase II (Mulner-Lorillon, O. et al. (1987) Eur. J. Biochem. 171, 107-117), a polyamine dependent enzyme. Therefore a decrease in polyamine concentration, via its effect on endogeneous casein kinase II, could constitute one of the molecular changes required for the acquisition of competence to mature.
Related Concept Videos
Meiosis II
Oogenesis
Meiosis I
Prophase I is the most extended and complex step of meiosis I characterized by synapsis, chromosome pairing, and recombination of the homologous chromosomes. This process is facilitated by a proteinaceous structure called the...
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,...
Oogenesis
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...

