YBX2-dependent stabilization of oocyte mRNA through a reversible sponge-like cortical partition

Dear Editor,

Oocyte meiotic maturation and early embryogenesis occur in the absence of transcription and rely on maternal mRNA stored in oocytes.¹ In mice, the transcription is subsequently silenced from the late germinal vesicle (GV) stage until embryonic genome activation at the 2-cell stage.¹ Therefore, during early oocyte growth, the oocyte must accumulate essential mRNA transcripts to support subsequent oocyte maturation, meiosis, and early embryo development. The growth period of mouse oocytes is usually 22–24 days, and the mRNA synthesized and stored during this time is remarkably stable with a half-life of nearly 2 weeks.² In contrast, the half-life of most mRNA in mouse embryonic stem cells is less than 24 h.³ Thus, the exact mechanism for how the maternal mRNA in oocytes maintains their long-term stability remains unclear.

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