The morula-blastocyst transition in two Old World primates: the baboon and rhesus monkey

Baboon and rhesus monkey embryos demonstrate compaction during the morula stage, although not all blastomeres participate simultaneously. During this process the outer adherent cells develop progressively more extensive apical junctional complexes. Several spaces appear between blastomeres before formation of a single cavity, and assortment of inner cell mass and trophoblast cells is less rapid and less precise in primates than in rodents. Nonhuman primates should prove appropriate for studies of individual aberrant blastomeres during blastocyst formation.