Prescence of tadpole and adult globin RNA sequences in oocytes of Xenopus laevis.

Complementary DNA transcribed from adult Xenopus laevis globin mRNA was used to assay ovary RNA from Xenopus for the presence of globin sequences by RNA.cDNA hybridization. These sequences are present at approximately the same concentration as the majority of poly(A)-containing ovary sequences. The sequences are also found at approximately 200,000 copies per cell in poly(A)-containing RNA extracted from mature oocytes. To rule out contamination of the oocytes with somatic cells, two additional experiments were performed. First, RNA isolated from ovulated unfertilized eggs, which are devoid of somatic cells, was also shown to contain the globin sequences. Second, globin mRNA was isolated from Xenopus tadpoles. Adult globin mRNA is free of the tadpole sequence and no homology was detected between adult and tadpoles globin RNA. The ovary was shown to contain tadpole globin RNA at nearly the same concentration as the adult sequences. Thus, the results cannot be explained by contamination with erythroid cells which should contain only the adult sequence. The swimming tadpole, which possesses an active circulatory system, was also assayed for the tadpole and adult globin sequences. Whereas the adult sequences are present at approximately the same concentration as in the mature oocyte, the concentration of the tadpole sequences increases at least 300-fold in the first 3 days following fertilization.