Nests in an egg cell: structures of protein-storage units in oocytes

Before an embryo can use its own genes, it relies on materials that have been packed into the egg. This is a precarious phase. In mammals, the fertilized egg divides several times before activating its own genome, meaning that early development depends almost entirely on preloaded proteins and RNA molecules. Many of these materials do not float freely inside the cell but are instead held by lattice-like structures that can be seen using an electron microscope.

Although these scaffolding complexes, referred to as cytoplasmic lattices (CPLs), were discovered nearly 60 years ago1, the details of their structure have been a mystery. Writing in Nature, Liu et al.2, Chi et al.3 and Kılıç et al.4 present the 3D structure of CPLs, revealing that they are ordered protein assemblies rather than disorganized tangles of macromolecules. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Weakley, B. S. Z. Zellforsch. Liu, S. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10360-7 (2026). Chi, P. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10442-6 (2026).

Kılıç, Z. I. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10513-8 (2026). Jentoft, I. M. A. et al. Cell 186, 5308–5327 (2023). Jentoft, I. M. A. & Schuh, M. Annu. Chi, P. et al. Nature Struct.

Harasimov, K. et al. Nature Cell Biol. Read the paper: Molecular basis of oocyte cytoplasmic lattice assembly Read the paper: Structure of the mouse cytoplasmic lattice Read the paper: Cytoplasmic lattices are megadalton storage complexes in mammalian oocytes

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