Nuclear reprogramming of somatic cells can be induced by oocyte factors. Despite numerous attempts, the factors responsible for successful nuclear reprogramming remain elusive. In the present study, we found that porcine oocytes with the first polar body collected at 42 h of in vitro maturation had a stronger ability to support early development of cloned embryos than porcine oocytes with the f...

Fertilization is a very complex biological process that requires the perfect cooperation between two highly specialized cells: the male and female gametes. The oocyte provides the physical space where this process takes place, most of the energetic need, and half of the genetic contribution. The spermatozoon mostly contributes the other half of the chromosomes and it is specialized to reach and...

DNA methylation is essential for the control of a number of biological mechanisms in mammals [1]. Mammalian development is accompanied by two major waves of genome-wide demethylation and remethylation: one during germ-cell development and the other after fertilisation [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. Most previous studies have suggested that the genome-wide demethylation observed after fertilisation oc...

The mammalian oocyte possesses powerful reprogramming factors, which can reprogram terminally differentiated germ cells (sperm) or somatic cells within a few cell cycles. Although it has been suggested that use of oocyte-derived transcripts may enhance the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, the reprogramming factors in oocytes are undetermined, and even the identified proteins compos...

The mechanisms controlling cell fate determination and reprogramming are fundamental for development. A profound reprogramming, allowing the production of pluripotent cells in early embryos, takes place during the oocyte-to-embryo transition. To understand how the oocyte reprogramming potential is controlled, we sought Caenorhabditis elegans mutants in which embryonic transcription is initiated...

The development of multicellular organisms is accompanied by reprogramming of the epigenome in specific cells, with the epigenome of most cell types becoming fixed after differentiation. Genome-wide reprogramming of DNA methylation occurs in primordial germ cells and in fertilized eggs during mammalian embryogenesis. The 5-methylcytosine (5mC) content of DNA thus undergoes a marked decrease in ...

Oocyte meiosis is a specialized cell cycle that gives rise to fertilizable haploid gametes and is precisely controlled in various dimensions. We recently found that E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4 is required for female fertility by regulating DNA hydroxymethylation to maintain oocyte survival and to promote zygotic genome reprogramming. However, not all phenotypes of CRL4-deleted oocytes could be exp...

In multicellular organisms, genetic programs guide cells to adopt cell fates as tissues are formed during development, maintained in adults, and repaired after injury. Here we explore how a small molecule in the environment can switch a genetic program from one fate to another. Wild-type Caenorhabditis elegans XX adult hermaphrodites make oocytes continuously, but certain mutant XX adults make ...

An important question in oocyte-mediated nuclear reprogramming is whether gene expression of the donor nucleus changes randomly or follows a pattern. Since cloned embryos are very heterogeneous and arrest frequently during preimplantation development, a random scenario is generally accepted. In the present study, we resolve the heterogeneity of cumulus cell-derived mouse clones by recognizing s...

In mammalian development, epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation patterns, play a crucial role in defining cell fate but also represent epigenetic barriers that restrict developmental potential. At two points in the life cycle, DNA methylation marks are reprogrammed on a global scale, concomitant with restoration of developmental potency. DNA methylation patterns are subsequently r...