Microinjection of α-toxin from Clostridium novyi type A promotes meiotic maturation in Xenopus laevis oocytes

Abstract P. Bette , F. Mauler , C. Mohr and E. Habermann . Microinjection of α-toxin from Clostridium novyi type A promotes meiotic maturation in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Toxicon 28, 1368–1371, 1990.—Microinjection of purified α-toxin into Xenopus laevis oocytes induced meiotic maturation provided insulin was present in the medium. Induction of maturation as indicated by breakdown of the germinal vesicle depended on the amount of intracellular α-toxin (with a detection limit of 2 ng/oocyte) and on the concentration of insulin. The hormone concentrations used were inactive when given alone and so was α-toxin (1 μg/ml) applied from the outside. The results demonstrate an intracellular target for α-toxin whereas an extracellular target is apparently lacking in oocytes.