A Novel Maternal mRNA Storage Compartment in Mouse Oocytes

Differentiation of a mouse oocyte into a two cell mouse embryo is controlled by the regulated translation of maternal mRNAs [1]. These mRNAs must be stored in the oocyte and then activated at the proper time in development. While advances in our understanding of mRNA storage and metabolism in somatic cells have been made, how mouse oocytes store and active maternal mRNAs is not well understood. In the current issue of Biology of Reproduction, Flemr and colleagues [2] address this issue and identify a new mRNA storage region in mouse oocytes called the subcortical RNP domain (SCRD).