Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Fertilization

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...

Cleavage and Blastulation

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...

Parental Care

Parental Care

Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Personal perception and body awareness of dysmenorrhea and the effects of rhythmical massage therapy and heart rate variability biofeedback-A qualitative study in the context of a randomized controlled trail.

Complementary therapies in medicine·2019

Same author

Communication of prostate cancer cells with bone cells via extracellular vesicle RNA; a potential mechanism of metastasis.

Oncogene·2018

Same author

Effect of nitrogen sources on some morphological characteristics of in vitro stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)·2017

Same author

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist mediates toll-like receptor 3-induced inhibition of trophoblast adhesion to endometrial cells in vitro.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2016

Same author

Epigenetics and periconception environment: an introduction.

Reproduction, fertility, and development·2016

Same author

Sperm selection in the female mammalian reproductive tract. Focus on the oviduct: Hypotheses, mechanisms, and new opportunities.

Theriogenology·2015

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish

Published on: April 22, 2017

Maternal communication with gametes and embryos.

A Fazeli¹

¹Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2SF, UK. A.fazeli@sheffield.ac.uk

|July 29, 2008

Summary

Maternal communication with gametes and embryos is vital for reproductive success. Understanding these complex signalling pathways is key to preventing developmental issues and future diseases in offspring.

Area of Science:

Reproductive Biology
Developmental Biology
Genomics & Proteomics

Background:

Successful reproduction in livestock and humans relies on intricate maternal environment interactions with gametes and embryos.
Both long-range (hormonal) and short-range signalling molecules mediate these crucial maternal-embryonic communications.
Environmental disturbances can impair embryonic development, potentially leading to adult-onset degenerative diseases in offspring.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the known and unknown signalling molecules involved in maternal communication with gametes and embryos.
To investigate the role of high-throughput genomic and proteomic technologies in understanding these interactions.
To characterize the local mechanisms within the female reproductive tract that sense and modulate the environment for gametes and embryos.

More Related Videos

Manipulation and In Vitro Maturation of Xenopus laevis Oocytes, Followed by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, to Study Embryonic Development

Manipulation and In Vitro Maturation of Xenopus laevis Oocytes, Followed by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, to Study Embryonic Development

Published on: February 9, 2015

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Published on: December 21, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish

Functional Manipulation of Maternal Gene Products Using In Vitro Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish

Published on: April 22, 2017

Manipulation and In Vitro Maturation of Xenopus laevis Oocytes, Followed by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, to Study Embryonic Development

Manipulation and In Vitro Maturation of Xenopus laevis Oocytes, Followed by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, to Study Embryonic Development

Published on: February 9, 2015

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Published on: December 21, 2021

Main Methods:

Application of high-throughput genomic and proteomic analytical tools (e.g., microarrays, quantitative proteomics).
Investigating spatial and temporal components of maternal communication.
Developing a systems biology approach to map the maternal-embryonic interactome.

Main Results:

High-throughput technologies have advanced the understanding of maternal communication with gametes and embryos.
Evidence suggests a local mechanism in the female reproductive tract recognizes and modulates the environment for incoming gametes and embryos.
The full network of signalling molecules and their interrelationships remains incompletely understood.

Conclusions:

Further research is needed to fully elucidate the local mechanisms governing maternal-embryonic interactions.
Considering spatial and temporal factors in maternal communication is critical for assessing developmental potential.
A systems biology approach and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential for mapping the maternal-embryonic interactome.