Transcription of Complex Structural Genes in the Xenopus Oocyte System

Abstract

An important problem in the study of gene expression resides in the question of what sequences in DNA are involved in the regulation of transcription initiation. To follow this question, transcription systems are needed that allow to measure the template activity of native genes as well as of artificially modified DNA sequences. In the last few years, a whole series of such systems have been developed, such as injection of DNA into oocytes (Colman 1975) or cultured cells (Müller et al. 1978), transformation of cultured cells with calcium-precipitated DNA (Wigler et al. 1977; Mantei et al. 1979) and the addition of DNA to lysate of oocyte nuclei (Brown and Jordan 1978) or to a lysate fraction of entire cells (Weil et al. 1979). Finally, viruses carrying heterologous genes may be used to transform eukaryotic cells (Mulligan et al. 1979; Schaffner 1980) and yeast plasmids may carry genes into yeast (Beggs 1978; Hinnen et al. 1978).