rRNA accumulation and protein synthetic patterns in growing mouse oocytes.

The rRNA contents of mouse primordial oocytes, three stages of growing oocytes, full-grown oocytes, and ovulated ova have been measured by hybridization of RNA samples to excess 3H-DNA complementary to rRNA. Since it was known from previous work that rRNA is stable, the results when plotted against days of oocyte growth indicated that rRNA was synthesized at a constant rate over the first 9 days of growth and about 1.5 times faster in the last 5 days. The maximum value of 0.3 ng per oocyte was attained by about 14 days of growth in oocytes 59 micrometers in diameter, well below the maximum diameter of 77 micrometers for full-grown oocytes. The stability of proteins synthesized in mid-growth phase oocytes was measured by labeling for 5 h with 35S-methionine and then following the decline of incorporated label during a 48h chase; 40% of the label decayed with a half-life of 11 h. and 60% was apparently stable. The two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns of labeled proteins synthesized by growing and full-grown oocytes were compared. The principal change was the appearance or great increase in intensity of several spots in full-grown oocytes as compared to growing oocytes. Egg proteins separated on a two-dimensional gel were visualized by silver staining. The cytoskeletal proteins actin, tubulin, and putative intermediate filament protein, as well as putative lactate dehydrogenase, were synthesized in growing and full-grown oocytes, and accumulated to form a significant portion of bulk egg protein.