Giovanni Coticchio • David F. Albertini
Lucia De Santis
Editors
2013
The oocyte is one of the largest and most mysterious of cells in mammalian organisms. After many years of inactivity in a primordial state, the oocyte progresses through growth and maturation achieving on the one hand a remarkable level of specialization, while maintaining throughout development a state of totipotency. Most telling of all is the unique capability of the oocyte, in collaboration with the spermatozoon, to give rise to a fully developed organism formed from hundreds of different tissues and myriads of individual cells – a feat that has inspired intellectuals of all ages.