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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Expression of Fluorescent Proteins in Branchiostoma lanceolatum by mRNA Injection into Unfertilized Oocytes
Published on: January 12, 2015
Two functional forms of the Xenopus laevis estrogen receptor translated from a single mRNA species
F X Claret1, S Chapel, J Garcés
1Institut de Biologie Animale, Université de Lausanne, Bâtiment de Biologie, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Steroid receptors are nuclear proteins that regulate gene transcription in a ligand-dependent manner. Over-expression of the Xenopus estrogen receptor in a vaccinia virus-derived expression system revealed that the receptor localized exclusively in the nucleus of the infected cells, irrespective of the presence or absence of the ligand. Furthermore, two forms of the receptor were produced, a full-length and a N-terminal truncated version, which are translated from a single mRNA species by the use of two AUG within the same reading frame. These 66- and 61-kDa receptors were also observed after in vitro translation of the mRNA as well as in primary Xenopus hepatocytes. Both forms are potent estrogen-dependent transcriptional activators in transient transfection experiments, as well as in in vitro transcription assays.
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