Understanding human pre-implantation development has important implications for assisted
reproductive technology (ART) and for human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapies …

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), comprises 60% of the total cell membrane and interacts
directly or indirectly with several cell organelles ie, Golgi bodies, mitochondria and …

Transposable elements represent nearly half of mammalian genomes and are generally
described as parasites, or" junk DNA." The LINE1 retrotransposon is the most abundant …

We report studies of preimplantation human embryo development that correlate time-lapse
image analysis and gene expression profiling. By examining a large set of zygotes from in …

In higher eukaryotes, histone methylation is involved in maintaining cellular identity during
somatic development. As most nucleosomes are replaced by protamines during …

Since the initial description of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells created by forced
expression of four transcription factors in mouse fibroblasts, the technique has been used to …

In mammals, the sperm deliver mRNA of unknown function into the oocytes during
fertilization. The role of sperm microRNAs (miRNAs) in preimplantation development is …

In mammalian spermatozoa, most but not all of the genome is densely packaged by
protamines. Here we reveal the molecular logic underlying the retention of nucleosomes in …

Transcription factor (TF) binding to DNA is fundamental for gene regulation. However, it
remains unknown how the dynamics of TF-DNA interactions change during cell-fate …

Prior to activation of the embryonic genome, the initiating events of mammalian development
are under maternal control and include fertilization, the block to polyspermy and processing …