Expression of Foreign Proteins on the Surface of Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Xenopus laevis oocytes have been widely used as an in vitro translation system for exogenous mRNAs. The utility of the oocyte translation system was first demonstrated by Gurdon and his colleagues,1 who detected β-globin after injection of reticulocyte mRNA. Subsequently, all eukaryotic mRNAs tested have directed the synthesis of the appropriate protein after injection into oocytes. A major advantage of the system is that the translation by oocytes is as much as 100- to 1000-fold more efficient than wheat germ lysate and rabbit reticulocyte lysate translation systems. This allows detection of translated products by radioimmune assays, ELISA, or biological activity. The efficiency of the translation is due, in part, to the stability of the injected mRNA. The half-life of injected globin mRNA, for example, is greater than 2 weeks.2