Background The first clues to the process of gamete activation date back to nearly 60 years
ago. The mutual activation of gametes is a crucial event during fertilization. In the testis and …

In metazoans that undergo sexual reproduction, genomic inheritance is ensured by two
distinct types of cell cycle, mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis maintains the genomic ploidy in …

Fertilization and early development are usually the most vulnerable stages in the life of
marine animals, and the biological processes during this period are highly sensitive to the …

To ensure successful offspring ploidy, vertebrate oocytes must halt the cell cycle in meiosis II
until sperm entry. Emi2 is essential to keep oocytes arrested until fertilization. However, how …

During oocyte development, meiosis arrests in prophase of the first division for a remarkably
prolonged period firstly during oocyte growth, and then when awaiting the appropriate …

Fertilization triggers a dynamic symphony of molecular transformations induced by a rapid
rise in intracellular calcium. Most prominent are surface alterations, metabolic activation …

In various oocytes and eggs of animals, transient elevations in cytoplasmic calcium ion
concentrations are known to regulate key processes during fertilization and the completion …

In eukaryotic cells, a spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures accurate chromosome
segregation, by monitoring proper attachment of chromosomes to spindle microtubules and …

Dismissed industrial plants with chronic environmental contamination globally affect all
levels of biological organization in concert with other natural and anthropogenic …

Background Gonad differentiation is an essential function for all sexually reproducing
species, and many aspects of these developmental processes are highly conserved among …