Polyadenylation of histone mRNA in <i>Xenopus</i> oocytes and embryos

Abstract

Oogenesis of amphibians is an atypical situation in which histone mRNA is polyadenylated. The poly(A) tract on H4 mRNA has been examined by S1 nuclease analysis. Throughout oogenesis the poly(A) tract is very short, and nonexistent on some mRNA molecules. The poly(A) tract is completely removed during maturation of the oocyte, and is absent in embryos and cultured cells.