Oogenesis is a conserved process that requires gene transcription and storage of RNA for development until the embryonic genome is activated (Evsikov andEviskov, 2009). Analysis of oocyte mRNA profiles detected in polar bodies may allow evaluationof geneexpression in single oocyteswithout destroying the cell. Here we demonstrate the detection of such oocyte mRNA in its sibling polar body. We bi...

In both vertebrates and invertebrates, meiotic divisions in oocytes are typically asymmetric, resulting in the formation of a large oocyte and small polar bodies. The size difference between the daughter cells is usually a consequence of asymmetric positioning of the spindle before cytokinesis. Spindle movements are often related to interactions between the cell cortex and the spindle asters [1...

Beginning with the earliest expeditions to the poles, over 100 years ago, scientists have compiled an impressive list of polar taxa whose body sizes are unusually large. This phenomenon has become known as 'polar gigantism'. In the intervening years, biologists have proposed a multitude of hypotheses to explain polar gigantism. These hypotheses run the gamut from invoking release from physical ...

For a convex body of given volume in spherical space, the total invariant measure of hitting great subspheres becomes minimal, equivalently the volume of the polar body becomes maximal, if and only if the body is a spherical cap. This result can be considered as a spherical counterpart of two Euclidean inequalities, the Urysohn inequality connecting mean width and volume, and the Blaschke-Santa...

The production of triploid shellfish has proven beneficial to the aquaculture industry since triploid organisms have reduced gonadal development, resulting in improved product quality and growth characteristics (1). Triploidization has been achieved for several molluscan species (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). In contrast, little is known about the effects of ploidy manipulation in decapod crustaceans. Triplo...