Though cell size varies between different cells and across species, the nuclear-to-
cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio is largely maintained across species and within cell types. A cell …

A fertilized egg is initially transcriptionally silent and relies on maternally provided factors to
initiate development. For embryonic development to proceed, the oocyte-inherited …

Heterochromatin marks such as H3K9me3 undergo global erasure and re-establishment
after fertilization, and the proper reprogramming of H3K9me3 is essential for early …

The zygote has a daunting task ahead of itself; it must develop from a single cell (fertilized
egg) into a fully functioning adult with a multitude of different cell types. In the beginning, the …

Understanding the mechanisms of embryonic cell cycles is a central goal of developmental
biology, as the regulation of the cell cycle must be closely coordinated with other events …

Externally deposited eggs begin development with an immense cytoplasm and a single
overwhelmed nucleus. Rapid mitotic cycles restore normality as the ratio of nuclei to …

Early embryo development requires maternal-to-zygotic transition, during which
transcriptionally silent nuclei begin widespread gene expression during zygotic genome …

In most species, the earliest stages of embryogenesis are characterized by rapid
proliferation, which must be tightly controlled with other cellular processes across the large …

In most metazoans, early embryonic development is characterized by rapid division cycles
that pause before gastrulation at the midblastula transition (MBT). 1 These cleavage …

The nuclear environment changes dramatically over the course of early development.
Histones are core chromatin components that play critical roles in regulating gene …