Table 1.

Reduction of mtlrRNA in the embryos injected with the anti-mtlrRNA ribozymes

Injected materials	Total no. of embryos scored*	No. of embryos without mtlrRNA signal in polar plasm†, %	Significance
RbzJ & K	300	52  (17.3)	P < 0.001§ P < 0.001¶
DW	262	19  (7.3)
Control
Rbz mix‡	124	5  (4.0)	P > 0.2§
DW	83	5  (6.0)

^*The injected embryos were in situ-hybridized with mtlrRNA probe. As an internal control for in situ hybridization, the embryos also were hybridized with a DIG-labeled probe detecting bcd mRNA that localizes at the anterior pole region of early embryos. Furthermore, to exclude embryos in which polar plasm leaked out or was delocalized by the injection procedure, the injected embryos were stained with an antibody against VAS protein. Neither the anterior localization of bcd nor the posterior localization of VAS was affected by the injection of anti-mtlrRNA ribozymes. The number of embryos without mtlrRNA signal was determined from embryos that showed normal bcd and VAS staining. 

^†Whole-mount in situ hybridization of the ribozyme-injected embryos using a double-stranded DNA probe for mtlrRNA. 

^‡A mixture of ribozymes that did not cleave mtlrRNA was injected into embryos. 

^§Probability was calculated vs DW-injected embryos by Fisher’s exact probability test. 

^¶ Probability was calculated vs control Rbz mix-injected embryos by Fisher’s exact probability test.