In our previous review we reviewed the history of embryonic stem cells, advantages and disadvantages of ESC, parthenogenetic ESC and their therapeutic applications, cloning along with merits of SCNT, in this shot commentary we have just concentrated on induced pluripotent stem cells, mainly their transcriptomics, along with special emphasis on global transcriptomics in candidate oocyte factors ...

Parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells are considered as a promising resource for regeneration medicine and powerful tools for developmental biology. A lot of studies have revealed that embryonic stem cells have distinct microRNA expression pattern and these microRNAs play important roles in self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. However, few studies concern about microRNA express...

It has been proposed that the release of intracellular ionic calcium may be the universal factor promoting activation of egg metabolism at fertilization. If this hypothesis is valid, then fertilization and all parthenogenetic agents which evoke the entire program of activation would necessarily involve an intracellular rise in ionic calcium. Fertilization or parthenogenetic activation of Lytech...

Unisexual all-female lizards of the genus Darevskia that are well adapted to various habitats are known to reproduce normally by true parthenogenesis. Although they consist of unisexual lineages and lack effective genetic recombination, they are characterized by some level of genetic polymorphism. To reveal the mutational contribution to overall genetic variability, the most straightforward and...

Phylogenetic and geographic evidence suggest that many parthenogenetic organisms have evolved recently and have spread rapidly. These patterns play a critical role in our understanding of the relative merits of sexual versus asexual reproductive modes, yet their interpretation is often hampered by a lack of detail. Here we present a detailed phylogeographic study of a vertebrate parthenogen, th...

Cyclic parthenogens, such as the cladoceran, Daphnia magna, utilize both asexual (parthenogenetic) and sexual reproduction in order to maximize population fitness in variable environments. Parthenogenetic reproduction is the default strategy among D. magna, while various environmental cues trigger cycles of sexual reproduction. Experiments were conducted with the juvenile hormone analog methopr...

Although more than 100 imprinted genes have already been identified in the mouse and human genomes, little is known about genomic imprinting in cattle. For a better understanding of these genes in cattle, parthenogenetically activated bovine blastocysts were transferred to recipient cows to obtain parthenotes, and fibroblasts derived from a Day 40 (Day 0 being the day of parthenogenetic activat...