Xenopus Egg Extracts
Xenopus Egg Extracts - Related Videos
09:41
Reconstitution Of β-catenin Degradation In Xenopus Egg Extract
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Cited by 4 •
2014
A method is described for analyzing protein degradation using radiolabeled and luciferase-fusion proteins in Xenopus egg extract and its adaptation for high-throughput screening for small molecule modulators of protein degradation.
07:45
Preparation and Fractionation of Xenopus laevis Egg Extracts
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Cited by 7 •
2008
Crude and fractionated Xenopus egg extracts can be used to provide ingredients for reconstituting cellular processes for morphological and biochemical analysis. Egg lysis and differential centrifugation are used to prepare the crude extract which in turn in used to prepare fractionated extracts and light membrane preparations.
04:49
In Vitro Nuclear Assembly Using Fractionated Xenopus Egg Extracts
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Cited by 5 •
2008
Nuclear membrane assembly is an essential step in the cell division cycle; this process can be replicated in the test tube by combining Xenopus sperm chromatin, cytosol, and light membrane fractions. Complete nuclei are formed, including nuclear membranes with pore complexes, and these reconstituted nuclei are capable of normal nuclear processes.
10:55
Study of the DNA Damage Checkpoint using Xenopus Egg Extracts
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Cited by 35 •
2012
Xenopus egg extract is a useful model system to investigate the DNA damage checkpoint. This protocol is for the preparation of Xenopus egg extracts and DNA damage checkpoint inducing reagents. These techniques are adaptable to a variety of DNA damaging approaches in the study of the DNA damage checkpoint signaling.
10:01
Production of Xenopus tropicalis Egg Extracts to Identify Microtubule-associated RNAs
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Cited by 1 •
2013
We describe the collection of unfertilized Xenopus tropicalis eggs and production of a meiosis II-arrested egg extract. This egg extract can be used to purify microtubules and microtubule-associated RNAs.
FAQs
Calcium levels and activation conditions help determine which cell-cycle state the extract models. By adjusting these variables, researchers can promote experimental conditions that reproduce DNA replication, nuclear assembly, or mitotic spindle formation. This control makes it possible to examine how regulatory factors influence transitions between major stages of cell division without relying solely on observations inside intact cells.
Their activity comes from a mixture of cytoplasmic machinery rather than a single purified molecule. Proteins, organelles, membranes, and regulatory factors remain available to interact, allowing coordinated processes such as chromosome organization and nuclear assembly. This combination preserves biological complexity while still permitting investigators to manipulate selected components or conditions directly.
Xenopus egg extracts occupy an intermediate position between the two approaches. Unlike purified assays, they retain interacting proteins, membranes, organelles, and regulatory machinery. Unlike intact cells, they allow direct control over activation, calcium levels, and added components. Researchers can therefore connect molecular changes to dynamic cell-cycle outcomes while reducing the experimental complexity of a whole organism.
Preparation begins by homogenizing frog eggs to release their cellular contents, followed by clarification to produce a usable extract. The resulting material contains the cytoplasmic components needed for cell-cycle and developmental assays. Researchers then establish experimental conditions by controlling activation and calcium levels and, when needed, introducing additional components to test specific molecular effects.
Investigators can vary activation conditions, adjust calcium levels, or add selected components to the extract and then monitor the resulting cellular events. These interventions help reveal whether a protein, regulatory factor, or environmental condition affects DNA replication, nuclear assembly, chromosome organization, or spindle formation. The approach links a controlled manipulation with a visible biological outcome.
These extracts support studies of cell division and early embryonic development by reproducing several coordinated events in vitro. Researchers can examine DNA replication, nuclear assembly, mitotic spindle formation, and chromosome organization while directly altering relevant conditions. Because dynamic processes can be visualized in a manipulable system, the method helps connect molecular pathways with larger developmental and cell-cycle outcomes.