High Throughput Analysis Reveals Novel Maternal Germline RNAs Critical for PGC Preservation and Proper Migration

DAWN OWENS; AMANDA BUTLER; KAREN NEWMAN; TRISTÁN AGÜERO; DEREK VAN BOOVEN; MARY LOU KING

Creta

Conferencia; 16th International Xenopus Conference; 2016

Patterning of the early Xenopus embryo is determinedby maternal components and includes specification of the three axes(Animal/Vegetal, Dorsal/Ventral, Left/Right), the primary germ layers, and thegerm cell lineage (King, 2014). The Balbiani body (BB) contains the germlinedeterminants embedded within germ plasm that will accumulate at the vegetalpole within the cortical region. The identity of the localized maternal RNAsand proteins that participate in embryonic development are of great interest.In the present study, we utilized high throughput RNA-sequencing analysis tointerrogate both animal and vegetal pole localized RNAs in the fully-grownoocyte. We have carried out functional analysis over-expressing and deletingselected RNAs expressed in the germ plasm. Based on our findings, we present amodel for the different gene pathways potentially operating at the vegetalpole.