title: Transcript clearance during the maternal-to-zygotic transition.
abstract: In all animals, a key event in the transition from maternal control of development to control by products of the zygotic genome is the elimination of a significant fraction of the mRNAs loaded into the egg by the mother. Clearance of these maternal mRNAs is accomplished by two activities: the first is maternally encoded while the second requires zygotic transcription. Recent advances include identification of RNA-binding proteins that function as specificity factors to direct the maternal degradation machinery to its target mRNAs; small RNAs-most notably microRNAs-that function as components of the zygotically encoded activity; signaling pathways that trigger production and/or activation of the clearance mechanism in early embryos; and mechanisms for spatial control of transcript clearance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8.
authors.forename: Claudia B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Walser
authors.forename: Howard D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Lipshitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D023121:RNA, Messenger, Stored / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015053:Zygote / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D023121:RNA, Messenger, Stored