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Nature 416, 804-805 (25 April 2002) | doi:10.1038/416804a

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Developmental biology: An arresting activity

Nicholas S. Duesbery & George F. Vande Woude

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Vertebrate eggs pause at a crucial stage in their development, starting again only after being fertilized by sperm. Another component of the activity that ensures this arrest has been identified.

The process of vertebrate egg development consists of oocyte growth coupled with specific pauses at various stages of maturation. The final pause is known as the metaphase II arrest, from which eggs are released only after being fertilized by sperm.

  1. Nicholas S. Duesbery is in the Laboratory of Developmental Cell Biology, and George F. Vande Woude is in the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, USA.
  2. e-mail: Email: george.vandewoude@vai.org