Frog oocytes contain enormous numbers of cellular components such as ribosomes. Briefly explain how the oocyte precursor manages to transcribe enough rRNAs to assemble 100,000 times more ribosomes than normal in the relatively short time period of oocyte maturation.
Synthesis of ribosomal structural proteins has been studied in the developing occytes of the frog, Xenopus laevis. It was found that the synthesis of these proteins was regulated during oogenesis such that their synthesis appeared to be coordinated with the accumulation of 28s and 18s ribosomal RNA rather than with 5s ribosomal RNA. During mid oogenesis greater than 30% of the protein synthesized in the oocyte can be accounted for as ribosomal structural protein. The assembly of ribosomes in these oocytes is at some level under hormonal control.
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