The genetic program for preimplantation development

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Abstract
This review summarizes information on accumulation profiles of individual gene transcripts in preimplantation development. Most of the information is from the mouse, but some data from other species are reviewed as well. The principal finding is that the transcription of most genes is not temporally linked with any of the three morphogenetic transitions (compaction, cavitation, and blastocoel expansion) that characterize this period. Most genes that are expressed during pre‐implantation development of the mouse are already being transcribed in the 4‐cell stage, and some clearly begin as early as the 2‐cell stage. Once activated, a gene continues to be transcribed at least into the blastocyst stage, resulting in continuous mRNA accumulation. Thus the pattern of gene transcription established at the time of genomic activation in the 2‐cell stage is perpetuated into the blastocyst, with a few additions along the way. This information is interpreted in light of previous findings concerning the sensitivity of morphogenetic transitions to inhibition of gene expression. The lack of a clear relationship between the timing of expression of most genes and the schedule of morphogenesis leads one to conclude that temporal regulation is imposed downstream of transcription and translation. This conclusion is substantiated by a consideration of factors controlling the events of compaction.