The fertilising sperm triggers a transient Ca2+ increase that releases eggs from cell cycle
arrest in the vast majority of animal eggs. In vertebrate eggs, Erp1, an APC/Ccdc20 inhibitor …

In ascidians the cell cycle machinery has been studied mainly in oocytes while ascidian
embryos have been used to dissect the mechanism that controls asymmetric cell division …

Ascidian oocytes are blocked in metaphase (M) of the first meiotic division. Fertilization
triggers the completion of meiosis without any further arrest. In this review, we have …

We have investigated the relationship between the sperm-triggered Ca2+ oscillations and
the activities of two cell cycle kinases (MPF activity and MAP kinase activity) at fertilisation of …

The completely transparent eggs and embryos of the ascidian Phallusia mammillata are well
suited for imaging-based studies of how cell cycle control mechanisms have been integrated …

Intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+] i) transients are observed in the fertilized
eggs of all species investigated so far, and are critical for initiating several events related to …

Fertilisation in ascidians triggers a series of periodic rises in cytosolic Ca2+ that are
essential for release from metaphase I arrest and progression through meiosis II. These …

Unfertilized eggs of most animals are arrested at a certain point in the meiotic cell cycles.
Reinitiation of meiosis and the start of embryogenesis are triggered by fertilization. This …

Vertebrate oocytes await fertilization arrested at metaphase of the second meiotic division.
Fertilization triggers a transient calcium wave, which induces the activation of the anaphase …

Most mature ascidian oocytes undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) when released
by the ovary into sea water (SW). Acidic SW blocks this but they can be stimulated by raising …