I. Development of the Oocyte. - 1. Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Changes During Oocyte Maturation. - 2. Follicular Control of Meiotic Maturation in Mammalian Oocytes. - 3. Translation Control in Oocytes: A Critical Role for the Poly(A) Tail of Maternal mRNAs. - 4. Establishment of Competence for Preimplantation Embryogenesis During Oogenesis in Mice. - II. Epigenetic Control of Embryo Development. - 5. Regulation of Hamster Embryo Development In Vitro by Amino Acids. - 6. Energy Metabolism in Preimplantation Development. - 7. Growth Factors as Regulators of Mammalian Preimplantation Embryo Development. - 8. Intracellular pH Regulation by the Preimplantation Embryo. - III. Genetics of Embryo Development. - 9. Activation of the Embryonic Genome: Comparisons Between Mouse and Bovine Development. - 10. Mutations Affecting Early Development in the Mouse. - 11. Parental Imprinting in Mammalian Development. - 12. Developmental Potential of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. - IV. Differentiation of the Embryo. - 13. Blastocyst Development and Growth: Role of Inositol and Citrate. - 14. Development of Human Blastocysts In Vitro. - 15. Development of Na/K ATPase Activity and Blastocoel Formation. - 16. Effects of Imprinting on Early Development of Mouse Embryos. - V. Embryo-Maternal Interactions. - 17. Uterine Secretory Activity and Embryo Development. - 18. In Vitro Models for Implantation of the Mammalian Embryo. - 19. Chemical Signals in Embryo-Maternal Dialogue: Role of Growth Factors. - 20. Regulation of Chorionic Gonadotropin Secretion by Cultured Human Blastocysts. - Appendix: Poster Presentations. - Author Index. Language: English