[Actin-binding proteins in Xenopus laevis oocytes and eggs. I. Presence and distribution of alpha-actinin and vinculin].

We studied the distribution of two actin-binding proteins, alpha-actinin and vinculin, in the oocytes and eggs of Xenopus laevis. These proteins are localized in the cortical area. A morphological connection of vinculin with the mirofilaments and plasma membrane was shown; the actin matrix in the egg was gold-labeled more intensely than in the oocyte. A possible role of these proteins in development of the cortical contractility and rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton during oocyte maturation is discussed.