Here the nucleotide sequence of three cDNAs from Xenopus laevis are reported. The corresponding genes belong to the AAA-family of genes showing the strongest sequence homology to the human HIV-1 Tat binding protein 1 (TBP-1) and to the yeast SUG1 gene, respectively. Analysis of their expression pattern indicate that they are maternally stored in oocytes and involved in very early stages of vertebrate embryogenesis.