The signal recognition particle (SRP) is a ribonucleoprotein machine that controls the translation and intracellular sorting of membrane and secreted proteins. The SRP contains a core RNA subunit with which six proteins are assembled. Recent work in both yeast and mammalian cells has identified the nucleolus as a possible initial site of SRP assembly. In the present study, SRP RNA and protein c...

Vitellogenin (1, 2) is a sex-limited phosphoprotein secreted by the liver in Xenopus females (3, 4) and selectively transferred via the circulatory system to growing oocytes, within which it is converted into the yolk proteins lipovitellin and phosvitin (3, 5, 6) . Selective uptake (7) and conversion (8) of vitellogenin can also take place in isolated oocytes . The available evidence indicates ...

adiponectin is one of the most important members of adipokine family which is widely synthesized and secreted by adipose tissue. the action of adiponectin is via binding to main receptors. it has several actions including regulation of glucose level, lipid homeo­stasis and reproductive system. adiponectin can also influence vascular endothelium via preventing the migration of monocytes. the rol...

Diplotene oocyte nucleus of the scorpionfly Panorpa communis is transcriptionally silent and contains numerous nuclear bodies including interchromatin granule clusters (IGCs). The latter consist of the granules of 30-50 nm in diameter and contain IGC marker protein SC35 as well as RNA polymerase II. In this study, we also localized in P. communis oocyte IGCs the transcription coactivators CBP/p...

Mammalian oogenesis requires oocyte-specific transcriptional regulators. The full complement of oocyte-specific transcription factors is unknown. Here, we describe the finding that Sohlh1, a spermatogenesis and oogenesis basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor in females, is preferentially expressed in oocytes and required for oogenesis. Sohlh1 disruption perturbs follicular formation in pa...