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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
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Defining the Program of Maternal mRNA Translation during In vitro Maturation using a Single Oocyte Reporter Assay
Published on: June 16, 2021
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BOLL-Containing Aggregates Mediate the Translational Regulation During Human Oogenesis
Ying Li1, Lingya Mao1, Boyuan Liang1
1The State Key Laboratory for Complex, Severe, and Rare Diseases; SXMU-Tsinghua Collaborative Innovation Center for Frontier Medicine; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Cell Proliferation
|February 26, 2026
Summary
Human oocyte meiosis uses specialized RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to control development. BOLL protein forms aggregates during meiosis, reprogramming translation and regulating cell cycle genes for reproductive success.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Molecular Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Human oocyte meiosis relies on post-transcriptional control of mRNA stores.
- Germ cell-specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate this process, but their mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of BOLL, a DAZ family protein, in human oogenesis.
- To elucidate the mechanism of RBP-mediated translational control during meiosis.
Main Methods:
- Integrative translatome-transcriptome analysis.
- RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing.
- Semi-denaturing electrophoretic analysis (protein aggregates).
- Human foetal ovarian tissues and hESC-derived oogenesis models.
Main Results:
- BOLL forms SDS-resistant protein aggregates during meiotic prophase.
- BOLL enhances translation efficiency of cell cycle regulators.
- BOLL interacts with core translation machinery via its DAZ domain.
- BOLL aggregates control cell cycle genes spatiotemporally during meiosis.
Conclusions:
- BOLL-containing protein aggregates drive translational reprogramming in human oogenesis.
- This represents an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for mammalian reproductive regulation.
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