question about XAO:1000082 name: unfertilized egg stage

[obophenotype-user]

Hi Erik,

id: XAO:1000082 name: unfertilized egg stage (Xenopus) def: "Xenopus developmental stage that corresponds to a developing or mature female germ cell."

This term is then parent of other oocyte stages (from oocyte stage I up to mature egg stage).

I wonder, which of these stages can be considered as arising from sexually immature xenopus? Which from sexually mature? In other terms, I need some help about Xenopus female gametogenesis versus life cycle.

Sorry for the question but I am not amphibian expert and literature is not clear about that.

Thank you very much

Anne

Reported by: anneniknejad

Original Ticket: obo/xenopus-anatomy-xao-term-requests/24

[obophenotype-user]

• status: unread --> open-accepted
• assigned_to: Erik Segerdell
• Group: -->

Original comment by: seger

[obophenotype-user]

• status: open-accepted --> closed-fixed

Original comment by: seger

[obophenotype-user]

Thanks for your question. As I understand it, Xenopus laevis reaches sexual maturity by about one year into its life cycle and beyond that point, gametogenesis is continuous in the adult frog. So to answer your question, I don't believe there is an oocyte stage or stages that represent a dividing line between the female being considered sexually immature vs. mature.

I think the wording of the definitions for unfertilized egg stages may have been a bit confusing or unclear, maybe implying that there was such a correspondence. It's a bit tricky representing it in the ontology, but what we try to represent is a continuum of stages from oocyte stage I --> mature egg --> single cell embryo --> embryo --> tadpole etc. and this is reflected by the preceded_by relationships. However, the definitions of the unfertilized egg stages do not intend to say anything about the age of the adult female in which the oocytes are being formed.

I've rewritten the definitions so that they are hopefully clearer (without changing their essential meaning, of course) -- see below. The changes are in the edit version of the ontology here:

https://code.google.com/p/xenopus-anatomy-ontology/source/browse/#svn%2Ftrunk%2Fsrc%2Fontology

[Term] id: XAO:1000082 name: unfertilized egg stage namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "Any of the stages of the developing or mature Xenopus female gamete." [XAO:EJS] synonym: "unfertilized egg" EXACT [] is_a: XAO:1000000 ! Xenopus developmental stage

[Term] id: XAO:1000083 name: oocyte stage I namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The pre-vitellogenic stage of the developing female gamete." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage

[Term] id: XAO:1000084 name: oocyte stage II namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The early vitellogenic stage of the developing female gamete." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000083 ! oocyte stage I

[Term] id: XAO:1000085 name: oocyte stage III namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The mid-vitellogenic stage of the developing female gamete." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000084 ! oocyte stage II

[Term] id: XAO:1000086 name: oocyte stage IV namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The stage of the developing female gamete that corresponds to the establishment of polarization along the animal-vegetal axis of the gamete." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000085 ! oocyte stage III

[Term] id: XAO:1000087 name: oocyte stage V namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The late-vitellogenic stage of the developing female gamete." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000086 ! oocyte stage IV

[Term] id: XAO:1000088 name: oocyte stage VI namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The developmental stage of the female gamete at which the gamete is fully grown." [XAO:EJS] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000087 ! oocyte stage V

[Term] id: XAO:1000092 name: mature egg stage namespace: xenopus_developmental_stage def: "The developmental stage of the female gamete at which the gamete has reached maturity." [XAO:EJS] synonym: "mature egg" RELATED [] is_a: XAO:1000082 ! unfertilized egg stage relationship: preceded_by XAO:1000088 ! oocyte stage VI

Original comment by: seger

[obophenotype-user]

I feel sorry for the question! I guess, I was tired and after reviewing a lot of 'immature frog eggs' I was completely confused!!! Anyway thank you for the nice definitions, and sorry again. Cheers,

Anne

Original comment by: anneniknejad