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Vertebrate maternal‐effect genes: Insights into fertilization, early cleavage divisions, and germ cell determinant localization from studies in the zebrafish
Author(s) -
Lindeman Robin E.,
Pelegri Francisco
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.21128
Subject(s) - biology , zebrafish , maternal to zygotic transition , germ cell , polarity in embryogenesis , zygote , vertebrate , oocyte , embryogenesis , gene , human fertilization , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology , germ plasm , genetics , centrosome , cell cycle , gastrulation
In the earliest stages of animal development prior to the commencement of zygotic transcription, all critical cellular processes are carried out by maternally‐provided molecular products accumulated in the egg during oogenesis. Disruption of these maternal products can lead to defective embryogenesis. In this review, we focus on maternal genes with roles in the fundamental processes of fertilization, cell division, centrosome regulation, and germ cell development with emphasis on findings from the zebrafish, as this is a unique and valuable model system for vertebrate reproduction. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 299–313, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.