In this video, we demonstrate that in the presence of a phosphodiester inhibitor, the oocyte cell cycle is arrested at prophase-I, during which transcribed mRNAs are stored in the absence of translation. After the release of the inhibitor, oocyte maturation resumes, and the cells enter metaphase. The signal of reporter mRNA fused with the target gene in metaphase-I indicates the activation of translational machinery and protein expression.
Protocol
All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board. 1. Preparation of media Add all components, as described in Table 1, to make the basic oocyte collection medium and oocyte maturation medium. For the basic collection medium, set the pH to 7.4. For both collection and maturation medium, add 3 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 1 µM cilostamide on…
Representative Results
Figure 1: Example of a single oocyte time-lapse recording. Brightfield, YFP, and mCherry recordings of a single oocyte injected with mRNAs encoding Ypet/Interleukin-7 3' UTR and polyadenylated mCherry at prophase I, MI (6 h after cilostamide release), and MII (15 h after cilostamide release). Scale bar = 25 µm. Abbreviations: YFP = yellow fluorescent protein; GV = germinal vesicle; MI = …
The In Vitro Single Oocyte Reporter Assay: A Technique to Study Target mRNA Translation Regulation During In Vitro Oocyte Maturation. J. Vis. Exp. (Pending Publication), e21237, doi: (2023).