A transient RNP compartment boosts translation and growth of mammalian oocytes
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mammalian oocytes undergo an extended growth phase, during which transcription gradually declines. To sustain meiotic divisions and early embryonic development, growing oocytes must accumulate maternal stores and tightly regulate translation. Using immunofluorescence, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, RNA sequencing, and live ex vivo ovarian tissue-slice imaging, we identified a transient ribonucleoprotein-organelle compartment in growing mouse oocytes, which we named the Zollo body. Although it resembles the Balbiani body observed in nongrowing oocytes of many vertebrate species, the Zollo body arises during growth and shows nascent translation and phospho-mTOR enrichment. Pharmacological dissolution of the Zollo body arrests follicle and oocyte growth in cultured ovarian tissue slices. Thus, the Zollo body is a transient, translation-associated compartment required for normal follicle and oocyte growth.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Collège de France, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Sorbonne Université, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Biologie du Développement et Cellules Souches, Lyon 1 Université, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Institut Cellule Souche et Cerveau, École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Biologie du Développement Marseille
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W7204605136