T. Komiya et al., ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL GENE OF THE DEAD BOX PROTEIN FAMILY WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY EXPRESSED IN GERM-CELLS OF XENOPUS-LAEVIS, Developmental biology, 162(2), 1994, pp. 354-363
We have isolated a CDNA of the DEAD protein family from a Xenopus ovar
y cDNA library. Northern hybridization revealed that the mRNA correspo
nding to the cDNA [XVLG1 (Xenopus vasa-like gene)] was specifically ex
pressed in adult testis and ovary. The deduced amino acid sequence of
XVLG1 was relatively homologous to that of Drosophila vasa. XVLG1 prot
ein was found to be expressed exclusively in adult testis and ovary by
immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody against XVLG1 protein. Immu
nocytological study showed that XVLG1 protein was expressed in oogonia
, oocytes, spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and also in primordial germ c
ells in stage 46 tadpoles. The monoclonal antibody used in this study
specifically stains germ line cells and is useful both as a germ cell
lineage marker and in biochemical studies of germ cells. (C) 1994 Acad
emic Press, Inc.