Metabolism and energy conversion during early development

Abstract

Invertebrate eggs are an attractive material for investigation because they develop rapidly and are available in large numbers during the summer months. As for fish eggs, they are produced during short spawning seasons, usually in inconvenient times of the year, but this disadvantage is outweighed by a prolonged period of embryonic development, especially in those species that spawn in cold water. As a result, the sequence of stages in embryogenesis is spread over a longer time span, displaying in slow motion the more rapid sequence of events in invertebrate embryogenesis. A number of studies on fish eggs and embryos have investigated various aspects of current problems: the changes in energy metabolism of the oocyte resulting in maturation and the changes following fertilization; protein and RNA metabolism before and after fertilization; the transfer of genetic information and hormonal control mechanisms. While recognizing that most of the current information is based on experiments using amphibian and invertebrate material, this chapter attempts to summarize findings resulting from studies of fish eggs and embryos. © 1979, Academic Press Inc.