Human development starts from the fertilization of a fully matured oocyte. Oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryo development before zygotic activation is characterized by the absence of new transcription from the genome. Thus, the process of oocyte-to-embryo transition before zygotic genome activation is largely controlled by post-transcriptional regulation of maternal mRNA stored in the fully grown oocyte. However, how maternal mRNA is post-transcriptionally regulated has remained elusive.
Click here for original story, Study examines how poly(A)-tail-mediated remodeling of maternal mRNA controls start of life
Source: Phys.org