In somatic cells, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription initiation starts by the binding of the
general transcription factor TFIID, containing the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and 13 TBP …

During oocyte growth, transcription is required to create RNA and protein reserves to
achieve maternal competence. During this period, the general transcription factor TATA …

Following fertilization, embryos develop for a substantial amount of time with a
transcriptionally silent genome. Thus, early development is maternally programmed, as it …

One of the crucial events in eukaryotic gene regulation is the assembly of general
transcription factors and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) into a pre-initiation complex (PIC) at …

Abstract Transcription by RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) is initiated by the hierarchical assembly
of the pre-initiation complex onto promoter DNA. Decades of research have shown that the …

The initial phases of embryonic development occur in the absence of de novo transcription
and are instead controlled by maternally inherited mRNAs and proteins. During this initial …

Embryogenesis depends on a highly coordinated cascade of genetically encoded events. In
animals, maternal factors contributed by the egg cytoplasm initially control development …

In mouse, the oocyte-to-embryo transition entails converting a highly differentiated oocyte to
totipotent blastomeres. This transition is driven by degradation of maternal mRNAs, which …

Transcriptional activation in mammalian embryos occurs in a stepwise manner. In mice, it
begins at the late one-cell stage, followed by a minor wave of activation at the early two-cell …

RNA polymerase (Pol) II transcription persists in TATA-box-binding protein (TBP)−/− mutant
mouse embryos, indicating TBP-independent mechanisms for Pol II transcription in early …