Translational control of maskin mRNA by its 3' untranslated region.

Background Information: Maskin is a member of the TACC (transforming acidic coiled-coil) domain proteins found in Xenopus laevis oocytes and embryos. It has been implicated in the co-ordination of the spindle and has been reported to mediate translational repression of cyclin B1 mRNA.

Results: In the present study, we report that maskin mRNA is translationally repressed at the level of initiation in stage 4 oocytes and becomes activated in stage 6 oocytes.