Perry M, Thomsen G H, Roeder R G
Dev Biol. 1986 Aug;116(2):532-8. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(86)90154-5.
In light of the parallels that exist in the structure of histone genes in sea urchins and in the frog, Xenopus laevis, and in the early development of these animals, it has been thought that Xenopus histone gene expression might be subject to the type of developmental regulation observed in sea urchins. We have examined the patterns of histone mRNA accumulation in Xenopus oocytes and embryos by primer extension and S1 nuclease protection techniques. The data demonstrate that histone genes which are active in Xenopus oocytes, and which contribute to large pools of histone mRNA in the absence of DNA replication, are also transcriptionally active in late embryos and in cultured cells. These results suggest that, rather than activating distinct sets of histone genes at different developmental stages, the developing frog embryo reprograms the expression of histone genes active in nondividing oocytes so that their expression becomes coupled to DNA replication subsequently during embryogenesis.
鉴于海胆、青蛙（非洲爪蟾）的组蛋白基因结构以及这些动物早期发育过程中存在的相似之处，人们认为非洲爪蟾组蛋白基因的表达可能受到在海胆中观察到的那种发育调控。我们通过引物延伸和S1核酸酶保护技术检测了非洲爪蟾卵母细胞和胚胎中组蛋白mRNA积累的模式。数据表明，在非洲爪蟾卵母细胞中活跃且在无DNA复制情况下产生大量组蛋白mRNA的组蛋白基因，在晚期胚胎和培养细胞中也具有转录活性。这些结果表明，发育中的青蛙胚胎并非在不同发育阶段激活不同组的组蛋白基因，而是对在不分裂的卵母细胞中活跃的组蛋白基因的表达进行重新编程，以便其表达在胚胎发生过程中随后与DNA复制相关联。
