The development of trophoblast in vitro from blastocysts containing varying amounts of inner cell mass

When intact mouse blastocysts are cultured in vitro in medium supplemented with foetal calf serum, trophoblast cells proliferate and undergo giant cell transformation such as occurs in vivo. If the amount of inner cell mass in the blastocyst is decreased by culture with [3H]-thymidine then giant cell transformation occurs normally but proliferation is reduced. In the absence of inner cell mass no proliferation occurs, and giant cell transformation is more rapid than in undamaged blastocysts.