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 …

A remarkable epigenetic remodelling process occurs shortly after fertilization, which restores
totipotency to the zygote. This involves global DNA demethylation, chromatin remodelling …

After fertilization, the embryonic genome is inactive until transcription is initiated during the
maternal-to-zygotic transition. How the onset of transcription is regulated in a precisely timed …

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

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 …

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

The many steps of gene expression, from the transcription of a gene to the production of its
protein product, are well understood. Yet, transcriptional regulation has been the focal point …

Although improvements in culture systems have greatly enhanced in vitro embryo
production, success rates under the best conditions are still far from ideal. The reasons for …

The hiatus between oocyte and embryonic gene transcription dictates a role for stored
maternal factors in early mammalian development. Encoded by maternal-effect genes, these …

The development of animal embryos is initially directed by maternal gene products. Then,
during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), developmental control is handed to the …