The Maternal To Zygotic Transition

Eggs of all animals contain mRNAs and proteins that are supplied to or deposited in the egg as it develops during oogenesis. These maternal gene products regulate all aspects of oocyte development, and an embryo fully relies on these maternal gene products for all aspects of its early development, including fertilization, transitions between meiotic and mitotic cell cycles, and activation of its own genome. Given the diverse processes required to produce a developmentally competent egg and embryo, it is not surprising that maternal gene products are not only essential for normal embryonic development but also for fertility. This review provides an overview of fundamental aspects of oocyte and early embryonic development and the interference and genetic approaches that have provided access to maternally regulated aspects of vertebrate development. Some of the pathways and molecules highlighted in this review, in particular, Bmps, Wnts, small GTPases, cytoskeletal components, and cell cycle regulators, are well known and are essential regulators of multiple aspects of animal development, including oogenesis, early embryogenesis, organogenesis, and reproductive fitness of the adult animal. Specific examples of developmental processes under maternal control and the essential proteins will be explored in each chapter, and where known conserved aspects or divergent roles for these maternal regulators of early vertebrate development will be discussed throughout this review. Table of Contents: Introduction / Oogenesis: From Germline Stem Cells to Germline Cysts / Oocyte Polarity and the Embryonic Axes: The Balbiani Body, an Ancient Oocyte Asymmetry / Preparing Developmentally Competent Eggs / Egg Activation / Blocking Polyspermy / Cleavage/ Mitosis: Going Multicellular / Maternal-Zygotic Transition / Reprogramming: Epigenetic Modifications and Zygotic Genome Activation / Dorsal-Ventral Axis Formation before Zygotic Genome Activation in Zebrafish and Frogs / Maternal TGF-β and the Dorsal-Ventral Embryonic Axis / Maternal Control After Zygotic Genome Activation / Compensation by Stable Maternal Proteins / Maternal Contributions to Germline Establishment or Maintenance / Perspective / Acknowledgments / References

The Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition provides users with an expert accounting of the mechanisms and functions of this transition in a range of animal and plant models. The book provides critical information on how maternal gene products program the initial development of all animal and plant embryos, then undergoing a series of events, termed the maternal-to-zygotic transition, during which maternal products are cleared and zygotic genome activation takes over the developmental control.

The Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition provides users with an expert accounting of the mechanisms and functions of this transition in a range of animal and plant models. The book provides critical information on how maternal gene products program the initial development of all animal and plant embryos, then undergoing a series of events, termed the maternal-to-zygotic transition, during which maternal products are cleared and zygotic genome activation takes over the developmental control. Maternal gene products program the initial development of all animal and plant embryos These then undergo a series of events, termed the maternal-to-zygotic transition, during which maternal products are cleared and zygotic genome activation takes over developmental control In this book, experts provide their insights into the mechanisms and functions of this transition in a range of animal and plant models.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of topics describing the earliest steps of fertilization, from egg activation and fertilization to the activation of the zygotic genome, in various studied vertebrate model systems. The contribution of maternal and paternal factors and their role in the early embryo as parental DNA becomes modified and embryonic genes become activated is fundamental to the initiation of embryogenesis in all animal systems. It can be argued that this is a unique developmental period, when information from the parents is compressed to direct the development of the body plan of the entire organism, a process of astounding simplicity, elegance and beauty. In addition to their fundamental scientific interest, many frontiers of biomedicine, such as reproductive biology, stem cells and reprogramming, and the understanding of intergenerational diseases, depend on advances in our knowledge of these early processes. Vertebrate Development: Maternal to Zygotic Control brings together chapters from experts in various disciplines describing the latest advances related to this important developmental transition. Each chapter is a synthesis of knowledge relevant to all vertebrates, with details on specific systems as well as comparisons between the various studied vertebrate models. The editorial expertise encompasses the fields of major vertebrate model systems (mammalian, amphibian and teleost) ensuring a balanced approach to various topics. This unique book—with its combination of in-depth and up-to-date basic research, inter-species comprehensiveness and emphasis on the very early stages of animal development—is essential for research scientists studying vertebrate development, as well as being a valuable resource for college educators teaching advanced courses in developmental biology.

Gastrulation: From Embryonic Pattern to Form Volume 136 in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on D. melanogaster, Zebrafish, Chick, Mouse and Human, C. elegans, D. melanogaster Internalization, Sea urchin, Ascidians, Xenopus Internalization, Xenopus Convergent Extension, Zebrafish Epiboly, Zebrafish Internalization, Zebrafish Convergence and Extension, Chick Primitive streak formation and mesendoderm internalization, Octavian Voiculescu, Mouse Primitive streak formation and internalization, Mouse Definitive endoderm morphogenesis, Conservation of movements, and more. Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series Includes the latest information on gastrulation from embryonic pattern to form

The success of Assisted Reproductive Technology is critically dependent upon the use of well optimized protocols, based upon sound scientific reasoning, empirical observations and evidence of clinical efficacy. Recently, the treatment of infertility has experienced a revolution, with the routine adoption of increasingly specialized molecular biological techniques and advanced methods for the manipulation of gametes and embryos. This textbook – inspired by the postgraduate degree program at the University of Oxford – guides students through the multidisciplinary syllabus essential to ART laboratory practice, from basic culture techniques and micromanipulation to laboratory management and quality assurance, and from endocrinology to molecular biology and research methods. Written for all levels of IVF practitioners, reproductive biologists and technologists involved in human reproductive science, it can be used as a reference manual for all IVF labs and as a textbook by undergraduates, advanced students, scientists and professionals involved in gamete, embryo or stem cell biology.

Studies of oogenesis occupy an important place in current in vestigations in developmental biology. Today no one has any doubt whatsoever that oogenesis is not just the prelude to development, but is development itself, and a very essential part of it. These words of an eminent Soviet scientist, B. L. As taurov , taken by T. B. Aizenshtadt as an epigraph to her chapter in this book, make a good epigraph for the entire book. It is now clear that during oogenesis not only vast reserves of ribosomes and mitochondria, of yolk, carbohydrates, and lipids, and of enzymes for protein and nucleic acid synthesis and for carbohydrate and fat metabolism (which ensures the energy supply and metabolism of the oocyte and the developing embryo) are formed, but also long-lived mRNA and proteins are synthesized, which determine both the completion of oocyte maturation and the initial stages of embryonic development. In the last 15-20 years, the use of molecular biology methods, electron microscopy, autoradiography, and microsurgical methods of experimental embryology in studying the pre-embryonic development of animals has greatly increased our knowledge of oogenesis. This has led to the need to systematize the data obtained, to reinter pret old ideas, and to review the results obtained by new research trends which have emerged in the last few years and which are of general biological interest. Such a task was undertaken in the book Sovremennye Problemy Oogeneza (Current Problems of Oogenesis), published in 1977 (in Russian).

Charts the fascinating interaction of specialized gamete cells, forming the early embryo and a blueprint of new life.