Germ cell quality is a key prerequisite for successful fertilization and early embryo
development. The quality is determined by the fine regulation of transcriptomic and …

Zygotic genome activation has been extensively studied in a variety of systems including
flies, frogs, and mammals. However, there is comparatively little known about the precise …

Digital microfluidics (DMF) holds great potential for the alleviation of laboratory procedures
in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). The electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) …

As the source of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), inner cell mass (ICM) can form all tissues of
the embryo proper, however, its role in early human lineage specification remains …

Introduction: Laboratory data link cannabinoid exposure to chromosomal mis-segregation
errors. Recent epidemiological reports confirm this link and raise concern that elevated …

Not that long ago, the human genome was discovered to be mainly non-coding, that is
comprised of DNA sequences that do not code for proteins. The initial paradigm that non …

The statement that fully-grown porcine oocytes (oocytes from follicles with diameter from 3 to
6 mm) are transcriptionally quiescent is not as strongly supported as it was before. Currently …

Many clinical studies have shown that embryos of in vitro fertilization (IVF) are often prone to
developmental arrest, which leads to recurrent failure of IVF treatment. Early embryonic …

Single-cell or low-input multi-omics techniques have revolutionized the study of pre-
implantation embryo development. However, the single-cell or low-input proteomic research …

Highlights•Pioneer factors and histones prime the chromatin landscape for zygotic
transcription.•ZGA timing is regulated by nuclear-to-cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio and cell cycle …