Abstract

The Fertilization Response of the Egg is the third and final volume of the Biology of Fertilization which provides a detailed discussion of the responses of the egg to the fertilizing sperm, collectively called as the activation of the egg. It is an anthology of physiological articles written by biology and physiology professionals.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, half of which focused on the sea urchin egg fertilization, as it is the most studied form. The first two chapters cover the discussions on the first visible egg responses to fertilization and the formation of the fertilization membrane. The following chapter describes the relationship of sperm entry into the amphibian egg and the establishment of the symmetry of the embryo. Other chapters focus on the electrical and ionic changes of the egg plasma membrane and cytoplasm. The remaining parts of the book describe the synthetic activities in the egg that are initiated during fertilization. These include description of DNA and maternal RNA syntheses, nuclear-cytoplasm interactions, protein synthesis during oogenesis and early embryogenesis, and the expression of maternal messenger RNA.

The book is an excellent reference for undergraduate and graduate biology students, specifically in physiology, embryogenesis, and developmental biology. It can also be an invaluable source of information for lecturers and professionals in biology.