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Oogenesis (/ ˌ oʊ. ə ˈ dʒ ɛ n ɪ s ɪ s /) or ovogenesis is the differentiation of the ovum (egg cell) into a cell competent to further develop when fertilized. [1] It is developed from the primary oocyte by maturation. Oogenesis is initiated before birth during embryonic development.
In animals, the process involves a sperm fusing with an ovum, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo. Depending on the animal species, the process can occur within the body of the female in internal fertilization, or outside in the case of external fertilization. The fertilized egg cell is known as the zygote. [2] [5]
During oogenesis, the oogonia become primary oocytes. Oocytes (immature ova) residing in the primordial follicle of the ovary are in a non-growing prophase arrested state, but have the capacity to undergo highly efficient homologous recombinational repair of DNA damages including double-strand breaks. [ 1 ]
A polar body is a small haploid cell that is formed at the same time as an egg cell during oogenesis, but generally does not have the ability to be fertilized. It is named from its polar position in the egg. When certain diploid cells in animals undergo cytokinesis after meiosis to produce egg cells
Animals, including mammals, produce gametes (sperm and egg) through meiosis in gonads (testicles in males and ovaries in females). Sperm are produced by the process of spermatogenesis and eggs are produced by oogenesis. These processes are outlined in the article gametogenesis.
The zona pellucida is a translucent matrix of cross-linked glycoprotein filaments that surrounds the mammalian oocyte and is 6.5–20 μm thick depending on the species. Its formation, which depends on a conserved zona pellucida-like (ZP) module that mediates the polymerization of egg coat components, [2] is critical to successful fertilization. [3]
For animal in vitro fertilization, caffeine at 5 mM concentration is a strong inducer of sperm capacitation in vitro. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Calcium ionophores are also ideal to induce capacitation. [ 7 ] Adding heparin to capacitation inducing medium mimics the secretion of heparin-like gycosaminoglycans (GAGs) near the oocyte and initiates the acrosome ...
During these stages, there is also little to no transcription of mRNA from the zygotic genome, [5] but zygotic transcription is not required for MBT to occur. [3] Cellular functions during early cleavage are carried out primarily by maternal products – proteins and mRNAs contributed to the egg during oogenesis .