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Related Concept Videos

Determination01:51

Determination

During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...
Determining the Plane of Cell Division02:13

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function. 
Animal cells
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Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.
Cellular Differentiation00:57

Cellular Differentiation

How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...

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Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development
14:08

Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development

Published on: January 26, 2013

Cell fate specification in the C. elegans embryo.

Morris F Maduro1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, USA. mmaduro@ucr.edu

Developmental Dynamics : an Official Publication of the American Association of Anatomists
|January 29, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell fate specification in C. elegans involves gene regulatory networks activated by signaling pathways. This review explores techniques and themes in studying cell specification using the C. elegans embryo model.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cell specification is crucial for development, defining descendant cell fates through unique expression patterns.
  • In C. elegans, cell fate specification relies on combinatorial signaling activating key factors.
  • These factors initiate gene regulatory networks driving embryonic development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review cell specification mechanisms in the C. elegans embryo.
  • To describe techniques used for studying cell fate determination in this model organism.
  • To highlight emergent themes in C. elegans cell specification research.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on C. elegans cell fate specification.
  • Analysis of techniques employed in studying cell specification.
  • Synthesis of key findings and developmental themes.

Main Results:

  • C. elegans utilizes blastomere specification factors to initiate gene regulatory networks.
  • These networks lead to the activation of tissue specification factors.
  • The C. elegans embryo serves as a powerful model for understanding fundamental cell specification processes.

Conclusions:

  • The combinatorial action of signals and factors is central to C. elegans cell specification.
  • Gene regulatory networks orchestrate developmental progression and cell fate decisions.
  • Studying C. elegans provides insights into conserved mechanisms of cell specification across species.