
Biology of Fertilization V3
The Fertilization Response of the Egg
- 1st Edition - May 6, 1985
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Editor: Charles Metz
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 4 1 4 5 2 4 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 4 8 4 3 - 6
The Fertilization Response of the Egg is the third and final volume of the Biology of Fertilization which provides a detailed discussion of the responses of the egg to the… Read more

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Request a sales quoteThe Fertilization Response of the Egg is the third and final volume of the Biology of Fertilization which provides a detailed discussion of the responses of the egg to the fertilizing sperm, collectively called as the activation of the egg. It is an anthology of physiological articles written by biology and physiology professionals. The book is divided into 12 chapters, half of which focused on the sea urchin egg fertilization, as it is the most studied form. The first two chapters cover the discussions on the first visible egg responses to fertilization and the formation of the fertilization membrane. The following chapter describes the relationship of sperm entry into the amphibian egg and the establishment of the symmetry of the embryo. Other chapters focus on the electrical and ionic changes of the egg plasma membrane and cytoplasm. The remaining parts of the book describe the synthetic activities in the egg that are initiated during fertilization. These include description of DNA and maternal RNA syntheses, nuclear-cytoplasm interactions, protein synthesis during oogenesis and early embryogenesis, and the expression of maternal messenger RNA. The book is an excellent reference for undergraduate and graduate biology students, specifically in physiology, embryogenesis, and developmental biology. It can also be an invaluable source of information for lecturers and professionals in biology.
Contributors
Foreword
Preface
Contents of Other Volumes
1. Functions of Egg Cortical Granules
I. Introduction
II. The Cortex of the Egg
III. Structure and Chemical Composition of Cortical Granules
IV. Secretory Functions of Cortical Granules
V. Conclusion
References
2. The Formation of the Fertilization Membrane of the Sea Urchin Egg
I. Introduction
II. Historical Perspective
III. Fertilization Membrane Morphology
IV. Fertilization Membrane Precursors
V. Assembly of the Fertilization Membrane
VI. Summary and Conclusions
References
3. Sperm Penetration and the Establishment of the Dorsal-Ventral Polarity of the Amphibian Egg
I. Introduction
II. Organization of the Egg Cytoplasm Prior to Fertilization
III. The Fertilization Reaction
IV. The Appearance of the Gray Crescent
V. Experimental Perturbation of the Fertile Egg's Pattern of Bilateral Symmetry
VI. Concluding Remarks
References
4. The Role of Calcium Explosions, Waves, and Pulses in Activating Eggs
I. All Eggs Can Be Artificially Activated by Raising Their Cytosolic Calcium
II. Medaka Eggs Are Activated by a Traveling Internal Calcium Explosion
III. Sea Urchin Eggs Are Apparently Activated by a Very Similar Explosion
IV. All Deuterostome Eggs May be Activated by a Traveling Internal Calcium Explosion
V. Protostome Eggs
VI. The Accessory Roles of pH
VII. The Consequences of Calcium Pulses in Eggs
VIII. Schemes and Questions
References
5. Ionic Signaling in the Sea Urchin Egg at Fertilization
I. Introduction
II. Assaying the Response of the Egg to Activation
III. The Release of Intracellular Calcium
IV. The Consequences of the Increase in Intracellular Free Calcium
V. The Consequences of the Increase in Intracellular pH
VI. The Ionic Hypothesis of Egg Activation
VII. Events That Precede the Calcium Release
VIII. Conclusions
References
6. Polyspermy-Preventing Mechanisms
I. Introduction
II. Extracellular Blocks to Polyspermy
III. Plasma Membrane Blocks to Polyspermy
IV. Physiological Polyspermy
V. Unanswered Questions
References
7. Pronuclear Events during Fertilization
I. Development of the Male Pronucleus
II. Aspects Regulating the Metamorphosis of the Sperm Nucleus into a Male Pronucleus
III. Development of the Female Pronucleus
IV. Pronuclear Association
V. Concluding Remarks
References
8. Activation of DNA Synthesis during Early Embryogenesis
I. Introduction
II. Oogenesis: Preparation for Nuclear DNA Synthesis
III. Activation of Nuclear DNA Synthesis at Fertilization
IV. Control of DNA Synthesis during Early Embryogenesis
V. Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Replication in Embryogenesis
References
9. Interspersed Maternal RNA of Sea Urchin and Amphibian Eggs
I. Introduction
II. The Complexity of Maternal RNA
III. Short Repetition DNA Sequence Transcripts in Egg RNA
IV. The Organization of Single Copy and Short Repetitive Sequences in Maternal RNA
V. The Structure of Maternal Poly(A) RNAs Containing a Specific Short Repeat Sequence Element
VI. The Nucleotide Sequences of Transcribed 2109A Repeats and Flanking Single Copy Regions
VII. Source of Embryo mRNA
VIII. The Metabolism of Interspersed Maternal RNA
IX. The Evolution of Interspersed Poly(A) RNA
X. Concluding Remarks
References
10. Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Interactions in Early Development
Text
References
11. Protein Synthesis during Oogenesis and Early Embryogenesis in the Mammal
I. Introduction
II. Accumulation and Storage of RNA during Oogenesis
III. Protein Synthesis during Oogenesis
IV. Programs of Protein Synthesis and Expression Initiated during Meiotic Maturation of Potential Consequence to Postfertilization Development
References
12. Maternal Messenger RNA: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Spatial Control of Its Expression in Embryos
I. Introduction
II. Protein Synthetic Machinery and Points of Control
III. Acceleration of Protein Synthesis in the Sea Urchin Embryo
IV. Sequence-Specific Selection of Maternal mRNAs for Translation
V. Spatial Localization of Maternal mRNAs: A Paradigm for Determination?
VI. Conclusions
References
Addendum to Chapter 5
Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: May 6, 1985
- No. of pages (eBook): 488
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780124145245
- eBook ISBN: 9780323148436
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