Zona pellucida and Early Embryonic Coats

This special issue contains the proceedings of a symposium held during the 2nd Joint Winter Meeting of the Society for The Study of Fertility (SSF) and the German Society for the Study of Fertility and Sterility (DGSFS) in December 1998. The articles underline the importance of embryonic coats during mammalian fertilization and describe the morphological and biochemical changes of these extracellular matrices by oviductal, uterine and embryonic proteins. In addition to the physiological and morphological properties of embryonic coats, their clinical significance is discussed. In recent years knowledge in this area has increased tremendously and it has become increasingly clear that understanding the physiology and pathology of embryonic coats seems to be very important for the elucidation of early embryonic development and may lead to improved in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy and in vitro culture techniques. Compiling the most recent findings in the field, this issue will be of particular importance for basic research scientists investigating fertilization, early embryonic development and embryo-maternal signalling as well as for gynecologists with an interest in IVF, in vitro culture of early embryos, and contraception.