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Fig. 2. Sections of oocytes hybridized with a digoxigenin-labeled antisense Xcat2 RNA probe and stained blue with NBT/BCIP alkaline phosphatase substrate. (A) In an early stage I oocyte the mitochondrial cloud (mc) is located at the oocyte nucleus (on) and the germinal granules (dark blue dots) are distributed more or less randomly within the whole cloud. (B) In early stage II oocyte the mitochondrial cloud extends between the nucleus and vegetal cortex and germinal granules are concentrated as a layer at its vegetal tip (the METRO region). Several �delayed� germinal granules
(arrowheads) are visible in the animal (nuclear) region of the cloud. In a stage II oocyte (C)
and an early stage III oocyte (D) the mitochondrial cloud is visible as an unfragmented,
single entity with a layer of germinal granules at the vegetal cortex. (E) A Late stage III
oocyte with a single layer of germinal granules (arrows) anchored at the vegetal cortex.
Abbreviations: mc, mitochondrial cloud; on, oocyte nucleus. Bars, 50 μm. |
