Histone storage and deposition in the early Drosophila embryo

Drosophila development initiates with the formation of a diploid zygote followed by the rapid division of embryonic nuclei. This syncytial phase of development occurs almost entirely under maternal control and ends when the blastoderm embryo cellularizes and activates its zygotic genome. The biosynthesis and storage of histones in quantity sufficient for chromatin assembly of several thousands of genome copies represent a unique challenge for the developing embryo. In this article, we have reviewed our current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the production, storage, and deposition of histones in the fertilized egg and during the exponential amplification of cleavage nuclei.