Presence of cap structures in the messenger RNA of mouse eggs

The presence of 5'-terminal 7-methylguanosine cap structures in the messenger RNA molecules in mouse eggs was assessed by (1) translational inhibition in a message-dependent reticulocyte cell-free system with the cap analogue 7-methylguanosine-5'-triphosphate, and (2) enzymatic removal of cap strucures with tobacco acid phosphatase followed by end-labelling with gamma-32P-ATP and polynucleotide kinase. The results suggest that the majority of mRNA molecules contain cap structures. There was no detectable difference in degree of capping in unfertilized versus fertilized egg mRNA.