The H3K36 and H3K27 histone methyltransferases MES-4 and PRC2 protect survival of the nascent germline in Caenorhabditis elegans by repressing expression of X-linked genes, including the key transcription factor LIN-15B.

The maternally provided histone demethylase LSD1/KDM1A has an instrumental role at the beginning of life, shaping the histone methylation landscape and the transcriptional repertoire of the early mouse embryo.

Maternal CLAMP functions as a novel pioneer transcription factor to open chromatin and plays a targeted yet essential role in Drosophila zygotic genome activation.

Regulation of conserved Nodal factors by a maternal protein ensures that Nodal signaling is repressed until the appropriate time in embryonic development.

Following fertilization, the pioneering transcription factors GAGA factor (GAF) and Zelda are independently required to reprogram the zygotic genome of Drosophila and activate the first wave of gene expression.

The glucose-sensing transcription factor MondoA regulates zebrafish epiboly via cholesterol biosynthesis genes including the human disease gene Nsdhl, revealing an unknown role for metabolic glucose signalling in vertebrate development.

In fruit flies, maternally deposited RNA-binding proteins are removed during the maternal-to-zygotic transition via a mechanism of translational upregulation of Kondo, the key E2 enzyme, at egg activation.

Honey bee queens adjust the provisioning of their eggs based on their perception of colony size via upregulation of metabolism, protein transport, and cytoskeletal reorganization, including the small GTPase Rho1.

Embryonic gene expression is strongly influenced by maternal genetic variation and by embryonic variation that acts in cis but not in trans.

A genomic imprinting program in the endosperm of Arabidopsis mature seeds is dynamically adjusted according to seed dormancy levels and regulates germination.