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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Drosophila Embryo Preparation and Microinjection for Live Cell Microscopy Performed using an Automated High Content Analyzer
Published on: January 19, 2021
Structural reorganizations of the endoplasmic reticulum during egg maturation and fertilization
1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, 1 University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, 87131, USA. sstr@unm.edu
Abstract:
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eggs is a major internal store of calcium ions that must be properly mobilized at fertilization for development to proceed. In most species, the ER develops distinct clusters in the cortical ooplasm as the oocyte matures into a fertilizable egg. Following fertilization, the structure of the ER rapidly reorganizes in eggs that produce a single fertilization-induced calcium wave, whereas ER clusters persist for relatively long periods in eggs that generate multiple calcium oscillations. This review considers such pre- and post-fertilization reorganizations of the ER and what effects these changes might have on calcium signaling patterns.
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