Newly added scRNAseq data of oocytes at the HPA has identified stem-loop binding protein (gene: SLBP) among the proteins with elevated expression in ovarian oocytes, supported by publicly available immunohistochemistry images.

In the recent update of the HPA (version 23), the scRNAseq data for ovary was replaced, enabling the identification and characterization of the mRNA expression of an oocyte cell cluster. With the inclusion of oocytes into the specificity characterization it was found that a significant portion of the human protein-coding genes, a total of 1053 genes, had elevated expression in oocytes compared to other cell types. This opens the door to future research on proteins with potentially important functions in female reproduction and associated disorders.

One of the genes with elevated expression in oocytes encode the stem-loop binding protein (SLBP), an RNA-binding protein involved in a non-canonical type of processing of histone pre-mRNA during the expression of histone proteins. The immunohistochemistry staining of SLBP in ovary shows staining localized to the nucleus and cytoplasm of the oocytes (brown).

Andreas Digre