167Merzdorf CS, Chen YH, Goodenough DA (1998) Formation of functional tight junctions in
Xenopus embryos. Dev Biol 195:187–203
Meseguer M, Herrero J, Tejera A, Hilligsøe KM, Ramsing NB, Remohí J (2011) The use of
morphokinetics as a predictor of embryo implantation. Hum Reprod 26:2658–2671
Meseguer M, Rubio I, Cruz M, Basile N, Marcos J, Requena A (2012) Embryo incubation and
selection in a time-lapse monitoring system improves pregnancy outcome compared with a
standard incubator: a retrospective cohort study. Fertil Steril 98:1481–1489
Minc N, Burgess D, Chang F (2011) Influence of cell geometry on division-plane positioning. Cell
144:414–426
Mishima M (2016) Centralspindlin in Rappaport’s cleavage signaling. Semin Cell Dev Biol
53:45–56
Mitchison TJ, Nguyen PA, Coughlin M, Groen AC (2013) Self-organization of stabilized microtu-
bules by both spindle and midzone mechanisms in Xenopus egg cytosol. Mol Biol Cell
24:1559–1573
Muller HAJ, Hausen P (1995) Epithelial cell polarity in early Xenopus development. Dev Dyn
202:405–420
Mulnard J, Huygens R (1978) Ultrastructural localization of non-specific alkaline phosphatase
during cleavage and blastocyst formation in the mouse. J Embryol Exp Morphol 44:121–131
Nagai H, Sezaki M, Kakigushi K, Nakaya Y, Chul Lee H, Ladher R, Sasanami T, Han JH,
Yonemura S, Sheng G (2015) Cellular analysis of cleavage-stage chick embryos reveals hidden
conservation in vertebrate early development. Development 142:1279–1286
Nair S, Marlow F, Abrams E, Kapp L, Mullins M, Pelegri F (2013) The chromosomal passenger
protein Birc5b organizes microfilaments and germ plasm in the zebrafish embryo. PLoS Genet
9:e1003448
Natale DR, Watson AJ (2002) Rac-1 and IQGAP are potential regulators of E-cadherin-catenin
interactions during murine preimplantation development. Mech Dev 119(Suppl 1):S21–S26
Navara CS, First NL, Schatten G (1994) Microtubule organization in the cow during fertilization,
polyspermy, parthenogenesis, and nuclear transfer: the role of the sperm aster. Dev Biol
1:29–40
Needleman DJ, Groen AC, Ohi R, Maresca T, Mirny L, Mitchison TJ (2010) Fast microtubule
dynamics in meiotic spindles measured by single molecule imaging: evidence that the spindle
environment does not stabilize microtubules. Mol Biol Cell 21:323–333
Negishi T, Takada T, Kawai N, Nishida H (2007) Localized PEM mRNA and protein are involved
in cleavage-plane orientation and unequal cell divisions in ascidians. Curr Biol 17:1014–1025
Newport J, Kirschner M (1982a) A major developmental transition in early Xenopus embryos:
II. Control of the onset of transcription. Cell 30:687–696
Newport J, Kirschner M (1982b) A major developmental transition in early Xenopus embryos:
I. Characterization and timing of cellular changes at the midblastula stage. Cell 30:675–686
Ng E, Claman P, Léveillé MC, Tanphaichitr N, Compitak K, Suwajanakorn S, Wells G (1995) Sex
ratio of babies is unchanged after transfer of fast- versus slow-cleaving embryos. J Assist
Reprod Genet 12:566–568
Nguyen PA, Groen AC, Loose M, Ishihara K, Wühr M, Field CM, Mitchison TJ (2014) Spatial
organization of cytokinesis signaling reconstituted in a cell-free system. Science 346:244–247
Niakan KK, Eggan K (2013) Analysis of human embryos from zygote to blastocyst reveals distinct
gene expression patterns relative to the mouse. Dev Biol 375:54–64
Nieuwkoop PD, Faber J (1967) Normal table of Xenopus laevis. North Holland, Amsterdam
Nikas G, Ao A, Winston RM, Handyside AH (1996) Compaction and surface polarity in the
human embryo in vitro. Biol Reprod 55:32–37
Nishida H (1987) Cell lineage analysis in ascidian embryos by intracellular injection of a tracer
enzyme: III. Up to the tissue restricted stage. Dev Biol 121:526–541
Nishida H (1994) Localization of determinants for formation of the anterior-posterior axis in eggs
of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi. Dev Biol 120:3093–3104
Nishida H (1996) Vegetal egg cytoplasm promotes gastrulation and is responsible for specification of
vegetal blastomeres in embryos of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi. Dev Biol 122:1271–1279
4 Vertebrate Embryonic Cleavage Pattern Determination