The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a large, dynamic structure that serves many roles in the
cell including calcium storage, protein synthesis and lipid metabolism. The diverse functions …

Today no one questions the assertion that Ca2+ is a crucial regulator of growth and
development in plants. The myriad processes in which this ion participates is large and …

Spontaneous deamination converts cytosine to uracil, which is excised from DNA by the
enzyme uracil-DNA glycosylase, leading to error-free repair. 5-Methylcytosine residues are …

Fertilization triggers a complex cellular programme that transforms two highly specialized
meiotic germ cells, the oocyte and the sperm, into a totipotent mitotic embryo. Linkages …

Calcium signaling underlies much of physiology. Almost all the Ca2+ in the cytoplasm is
bound to buffers, with typically only∼ 1% being freely ionized at resting levels in most cells …

During animal fertilizations, each oocyte or egg must produce a proper intracellular calcium
signal for development to proceed normally. As a supplement to recent synopses of …

The process of fertilization by hermaphrodite and male sperm is described. In the
hermaphrodite fertilization occurs in the spermatheca by the first sperm to contact the oocyte …

Fertilization calcium waves are introduced, and the evidence from which we can infer
general mechanisms of these waves is presented. The two main classes of hypotheses put …

Sperm-egg interaction in mammals is initiated by binding of sperm to the zona pellucida, an
acellular coat completely surrounding the plasma membrane of unfertilized eggs. Zonae …

Ionic currents were studied in immature full‐grown Xenopus oocytes using the two‐micro‐
electrode voltage‐clamp technique. Recordings of total membrane current showed a …