Cytoplasmic DNA and basic protein synthesis in Megalobatrachus davidianus oocytes

Abstract

Mature Megalobatrachus oocytes contain 43 µg DNA per oocyte, as compared with 250 pg DNA in a hepatocyte of the same animal. Megalobatrachus oocytes respond to CdR treatment by an increased incorporation of [3H]lysine into basic proteins associated with ooplasmic particles, with an optimal CdR concentration at 2 mM. The nucleolus is the most active site of [3H]lysine incorporation. It is suggested that CdR-stimulated basic protein synthesis is a common biochemical event during amphibian oogenesis. The dose response to CdR treatment may be a function of the c-DNA content or c-DNA synthesis potential in the ooplasm.