Prior to zygotic genome activation, early mammalian development relies on maternal-effect genes to orchestrate the oocyte-to-embryo transition. Recently, a subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) was identified to be essential for mouse preimplantation development. The SCMC integrates multiple proteins encoded by maternal-effect genes and appears to be functionally conserved across mammalian species. In addition, mutations in human SCMC genes are associated with certain human reproductive disorders. Here, we highlight recent advances in the biology of the SCMC and propose that this complex may be a representative example of maternal functional modules in mammalian oocyte-to-embryo transition. These findings may provide further insights into the molecular regulation of mammalian early embryogenesis, with possible implications for human early embryonic development and reproduction medicine.

在合子基因组激活之前，早期的哺乳动物发育依靠母体效应基因来协调卵母细胞到胚胎的过渡。最近，皮层下的母体复合物（SCMC）被确定为小鼠植入前发育必不可少的。SCMC整合了由母体效应基因编码的多种蛋白质，并且似乎在哺乳动物物种中在功能上是保守的。另外，人SCMC基因的突变与某些人的生殖疾病有关。在这里，我们重点介绍了SCMC生物学的最新进展，并提出这种复合物可能是哺乳动物卵母细胞向胚胎过渡中母体功能模块的代表。这些发现可能为哺乳动物早期胚胎发生的分子调控提供进一步的见解，