Highlights•Cellular models can recapitulate some aspects of embryonic genome
activation.•Multiple factors regulate embryonic genome activation.•Several types of totipotent …

Totipotency represents the highest developmental potency. By definition, totipotent stem
cells are capable of giving rise to all embryonic and extraembryonic cell types. In …

The mammalian zygote is described as a totipotent cell in the literature, but this
characterization is elusive ignoring the molecular underpinnings. Totipotency can connote …

In mammals, the unicellular zygote starts the process of embryogenesis and differentiates
into all types of somatic cells, including both fetal and extraembryonic lineages—in a highly …

The 21st century started with an important discovery that a pluripotent stem cell can be
induced from differentiated cells by 'simply'introducing a few transcription factors. Because …

In mammals, pluripotent stem cells can give rise to every cell type of embryonic lineage, and
hold great potential in regenerative medicine and disease modeling. Guided by the …

In multicellular organisms, oocytes and sperm undergo fusion during fertilization and the
resulting zygote gives rise to a new individual. The ability of zygotes to produce a fully …

During human preimplantation development the totipotent zygote divides and undergoes a
number of changes that lead to the first lineage differentiation in the blastocyst displaying …

After a spermatozoon enters an oocyte, maternal factors accumulated in the oocyte
reprogram the genomes of the terminally differentiated oocyte and spermatozoon …

Despite investigative interest, the artificial derivation of pluripotent stem cells remains
inefficient and incomplete reprogramming hinders its potential as a reliable tool in …