Following fertilization, the two specified gametes must unite to create an entirely new
organism. The genome is initially transcriptionally quiescent, allowing the zygote to be …

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

Drastic epigenetic reprogramming takes place during preimplantation development, leading
to the conversion of terminally differentiated gametes to a totipotent embryo. Deficiencies in …

Dramatic nuclear reorganization occurs during early development to convert terminally
differentiated gametes to a totipotent zygote, which then gives rise to an embryo. Aberrant …

Activation of transcription within the embryonic genome (EGA) after fertilization is a complex
process requiring a carefully coordinated series of nuclear and cytoplasmic events, which …

In animals, the germline is the only lineage that transmits genetic information to the next
generation. Although the founder cells of this lineage are specified differently in …

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

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) denotes the initiation of gene expression after fertilization.
It is part of the complex oocyte-to-embryo transition (OET) in which a highly specialized cell …

The shift from maternal to embryonic control is a critical developmental milestone in
preimplantation development. Widespread transcriptomic and epigenetic remodeling …

Mammalian fertilization begins with the fusion of two specialized gametes, followed by major
epigenetic remodeling leading to the formation of a totipotent embryo. During the …