Qualitative and quantitative changes in protein synthesis occur at the 8–16-cell stage of embryogenesis in the cow

in Reproduction
Authors:
R. E. Frei
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G. A. Schultz
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R. B. Church
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Summary. Cow oocytes and preimplantation embryos were cultured in medium containing radiolabelled methionine and the proteins synthesized were analysed by one-dimensional electrophoresis and fluorography. Marked changes in the pattern of synthesis were observed at the 8–16-cell stage of development. Quantitatively, a gradual decrease in the rate of protein synthesis occurred between the zygote and 8-cell stage and then the rate increased progressively to the blastocyst stage. Incorporation of radiolabelled uridine into RNA was first detected at the 16-cell stage. Taken together, these results suggest that protein synthesis is programmed by maternal mRNA up to the 8-cell stage but switches to mRNA derived from the zygote genome between the 8- and 16-cell stage.

Keywords: embryo; maternal mRNA; transcription; translation; cow

 

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