Abstract
The fertilized egg is a single cell that must give rise to a multicellular organism; and this should happen as fast as possible because the embryo cannot evade predators (if it is not carried away inside a viviparous mother). The egg uses stored molecules to jump-start development. As a rule, until gastrulation, the early embryo can abstain from transcribing genetic information, because all needed mRNA is already present in the maternal ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles. From these particles, mRNA is liberated and used for translation. Chromosomes are not needed for directing protein synthesis and the embryo can focus on their multiplication. In rapid succession S phase (replication of the DNA and duplication of the chromosomes) and M phase (mitosis) alternate. Mammalian eggs are exceptions to this rule, and the cell cycle in cleaving mammalian eggs is unusually long. The eggs of sea urchins, Xenopus, and the clam Spisula are popular for research because of their rapid and synchronous cleavage.
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
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Müller, W.A. (1997). Precisely Patterned Cleavage Divisions Are Driven by an Oscillator. In: Developmental Biology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2248-4_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2248-4_7
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