The knockdown of the maternal estrogen receptor 2a (esr2a) mRNA affects embryo transcript contents and larval development in zebrafish

► Maternal esr2a transcript is relocated from yolk cell to 1-cell zebrafish embryo. ► Esr2a knockdown increases apoptosis in embryos and severe malformations in larvae. ► Defects were not observed by morpholino missplicing of zygotic esr2a mRNA. ► Translation knockdown of esr2a mRNA up- or down-regulates 705 transcripts in embryos.