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Structural changes in oocyte nucleoli ofXenopus laevis during oogenesis and meiotic maturation

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Abstract

Immunoelectron microscopy with anti-nucleolin defined substructures within the multiple nucleoli of biosynthetically active stage II–III oocytes and within the nucleoli of relatively quiescent stage VI oocytes ofXenopus laevis. Dense fibrillar components (DFCs) of nucleoli from stage II–III oocytes consisted of nucleolonemas that radiated from a continuous DFC sheath surrounding fibrillar centers (FCs). Discernible granular regions (GRs) were absent in these same nucleoli. Conversely, stage VI oocyte nucleoli displayed compacted DFCs and prominent GRs. Immunofluorescence microscopy then tracked fibrillarin, nucleolin, and condensed DNA through oogenesis and into progesterone-induced meiotic maturation and nuclear breakdown. In stage II–III oocyte nucleoli, fibrillarin was enriched near the FC-DFC boundaries, while nucleolin was distributed throughout these same DFCs. Both proteins were enriched within the compacted DFCs of stage VI oocyte nucleoli. Staining with (DAPI) 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenyl-indole showed condensed DNA within nucleolar FCs of both stage II–III and stage VI oocyte. Upon nuclear breakdown, we found fibrillarin and nucleolin in small particles and in the surrounding cytoplasm. Although we saw no trace of fibrillarin or nucleolin in nuclear remnants prepared just minutes later, DAPI-stained particles remained within these preparations, thus suggesting that FCs were at least slow to disassemble.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Louisiana State University, 70803-1806, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Shamita B. Shah, Colette D. Terry, Deborah A. Wells & Patrick J. DiMario

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  1. Shamita B. Shah
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  2. Colette D. Terry
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  3. Deborah A. Wells
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  4. Patrick J. DiMario
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Correspondence to Patrick J. DiMario.

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Edited by: U. Scheer

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Shah, S.B., Terry, C.D., Wells, D.A. et al. Structural changes in oocyte nucleoli ofXenopus laevis during oogenesis and meiotic maturation. Chromosoma 105, 111–121 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02509521

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