Meiotic metaphase arrest in animal oocytes: its mechanisms and biological significance.
Metaphase arrest in meiosis I or II before fertilization is a common and unique feature of oogenesis in many animal species. How and why oocytes from many species are arrested at metaphase, rather than after the completion of meiosis, has long remained a mystery. This article reviews recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms and biological significance of meiotic metaphase arrest in animal oocytes.
Sagata
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Dept of Biology Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Fukuoka 812-81, Japan.