1. Post-transcriptional gene regulation regulates germline stem cell to oocyte transition during Drosophila oogenesis

Patrick Blatt, Elliot T. Martin, Shane M. Breznak and Prashanth Rangan

2. Maternal inheritance of centromeres through the germline

Arunika Das, Ben E. Black and Michael A. Lampson

3. Signaling between somatic follicle cells and the germline patterns the egg and embryo of Drosophila

Julie A. Merkle, Julia Wittes and Trudi Schüpbach

4. Organizing the oocyte: RNA localization meets phase separation

Sarah E. Cabral and Kimberly L. Mowry

Part II Fertilization and germline specification

5. Species-specific mechanisms during fertilization

Krista R. Gert and Andrea Pauli

6. The role of the cytoskeleton in germ plasm aggregation and compaction in the zebrafish embryo

Cara E. Moravec and Francisco Pelegri

7. Dead end and Detour: The function of the RNA-binding protein Dnd in posttranscriptional regulation in the germline

Theresa Gross-Thebing and Erez Raz

8. From mother to embryo: A molecular perspective on zygotic genome activation

Edlyn Wu and Nadine L. Vastenhouw

Part III Maternal regulation of embryonic patterning and morphogenesis

9. Maternal regulation of seed growth and patterning in flowering plants

Allison R. Phillips and Matthew M.S. Evans

10. Maternal factors regulating symmetry breaking and dorsal–ventral axis formation in the sea urchin embryo

Maria Dolores Molina and Thierry Lepage

11. Maternal factors regulating preimplantation development in mice

Di Wu and Jurrien Dean

12. The maternal coordinate system: Molecular-genetics of embryonic axis formation and patterning in the zebrafish

Ricardo Fuentes, Benjamin Tajer, Manami Kobayashi, Jose L. Pelliccia, Yvette Langdon, Elliott W. Abrams and Mary C. Mullins

13. Maternal contributions to gastrulation in zebrafish

Lilianna Solnica-Krezel