Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Box G-L268, Providence, Rhode Island 02912.
Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2020 Apr 1;2020(4):095844. doi: 10.1101/pdb.top095844.
The oocyte is a unique model system, allowing both the study of complex biological processes within a cellular context through expression of exogenous mRNAs and proteins, and the study of the cell, molecular, and developmental biology of the oocyte itself. During oogenesis, oocytes grow dramatically in size, with a mature oocyte having a diameter of ∼1.3 mm, and become highly polarized, localizing many mRNAs and proteins. Thus, the mature oocyte is a repository of maternal mRNAs and proteins that will direct early embryogenesis prior to zygotic genome transcription. Importantly, the oocyte also has the capacity to translate exogenous microinjected RNAs, which has enabled breakthroughs in a wide range of areas including cell biology, developmental biology, molecular biology, and physiology. This introduction outlines how oocytes can be used to study a variety of important biological questions.
卵母细胞是一个独特的模型系统，既可以通过表达外源 mRNA 和蛋白质来研究细胞内复杂的生物学过程，也可以研究卵母细胞本身的细胞、分子和发育生物学。在卵子发生过程中，卵母细胞的体积显著增大，成熟的卵母细胞直径约为 1.3 毫米，并变得高度极化，使许多 mRNA 和蛋白质定位。因此，成熟的卵母细胞是母体 mRNA 和蛋白质的储存库，这些 mRNA 和蛋白质将在合子基因组转录之前指导早期胚胎发生。重要的是，卵母细胞还具有翻译外源微注射 RNA 的能力，这使得在细胞生物学、发育生物学、分子生物学和生理学等广泛领域取得了突破。本文概述了如何利用卵母细胞来研究各种重要的生物学问题。
