Somatic nuclei in amphibian oocytes: evidence for selective gene expression.

Previous work has shown that multiple HeLa nuclei injected into Xenopus oocytes remain transcriptionally active for many days and that the expression of HeLa genes in oocytes can be detected by 2-D gel electrophoresis. We show here that of 25 proteins which have the electrophoretic properties of HeLa gene products, only 3 are expressed in injected oocytes. To test that these proteins are products of HeLa genes, and not products of activated oocyte genes, we have injected HeLa nuclei into enucleated oocytes. Three days later, several HeLa proteins were synthesized. The turning off of most HeLa genes in injected oocytes is apparently not at the translational level. This is indicated by the fact that adenovirus mRNA is efficiently translated when injected into Xenopus oocytes. When adenovirus-infected HeLa cells nuclei are injected into oocytes the adenovirus genes are not expressed, although some HeLa genes are expressed by the same nuclei. The same HeLa genes as are expressed or switched off in injected Xenopus oocytes are also preferentially expressed or switched off in injected oocytes of a Urodele amphibian, Pleurodeles. This suggests that conditions or molecules may exist in oocytes which selectively impose on injected nuclei a new programme of gene expression.