Arresting the division enables the egg to obtain all the resources it would possibly need. During the first arrest stage (diplotene stage of the first meiotic division), oocytes actively translate and transcribe. To support transcription, chromosomes too are decondensed as a result.
Again, at meiosis II, after the polar body I have formed, the oocyte gets arrested at metaphase II, waiting to meet the sperm in the fallopian tube and possibly complete meiosis II forming ovum and ultimately, the zygote.
Explore more:
- Oogenesis
- What Happens in Meiosis During Oogenesis?
- Do Oocytes Undergo Mitosis?
- Why Does Only One Egg Rather Than four Eggs Develop During Oogenesis?
- At What Point Does the Secondary Oocyte Complete Meiosis?
- How Primary Oocyte Is Formed?
