Fig. 3 Maternal β-catenin-2 transcript is reduced in ichabod embryos. (A) RT-PCR assay of RNA expression levels in wild-type and ichabod embryos. For each stage shown, oligo dT-primed cDNA was used as a template for three separate PCR amplifications using primers for β-catenin-1, β-catenin-2 and ef1α. Maternal β-catenin-2 transcript was reduced in ichabod embryos, but reduction of maternal β-catenin-1 transcript or zygotic transcripts of either gene was not observed. (B-M) Whole-mount in situ hybridization showing ubiquitous expression of both β-catenin genes and low expression of maternal β-catenin-2. One-cell stage (top row: B,E,H,K), sphere stage (middle row: C,F,I,L) and 90% epiboly (bottom row: D,G,J,M) wild-type (B-D, H-J) and ichabod (E-G, K-M) embryos were tested for expression of β-catenin-1 (B-G) and β-catenin-2 (H-M). Embryos in D,J are shown in lateral view with dorsal towards the right.