Analysis of mouse zygotic genome activation (ZGA) reveals that a mis-annotated multicopy homeobox gene Obox4 functions redundantly with Dux to promote ZGA.
Depletion of the TGFβ signal-transducer, SMAD4, in granulosa cells of growing follicles reduces the number of filopodia, termed transzonal projections, that stably attach to and mediate communication with the oocyte.