Xenopus Laevis Oocyte - X. laevis is also notable for its use in the first well-documented method of pregnancy testing when it was discovered that the urine from pregnant women induced X. laevis oocyte production. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone found in substantial quantities in the urine of pregnant women. Today, commercially available HCG is injected into Xenopus males and females to induce mating behavior and to breed these frogs in captivity at any time of the year.
"Some [North American] hospitals [in the 1940s] dumped surplus frogs into nearby streams, where these prolific breeders flourished and are now considered pests."
Ovary under the microscope with many oocytes
Opened oocyte with nucleus
O’Connell et al. address a critical issue affecting many electrophysiologists who use Xenopus laevis oocytes for ion channel research: common infection by multi-drug–resistant bacteria. The researchers examine the effectiveness of 25 different antibiotics in treating the infections and establish an antibiotic cocktail protocol that maximizes oocyte quality.
More big winners from the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair earlier this month: Grand Prize Winner Aakash Jain ’14 presented his project “Optimization of the Xenopus laevis Oocyte Expression System.” He received a 1st PL award Cellular and Molecular Biology in addition to a special sward for In Vitro Biology Research. Aakash also took 3rd PL in a research poster contest at ASU. Aakash's Grand Prize award earns him a spot on ASU's SCENE team going to Intel's International Science & Engineering Fair.
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