Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
Blastomere Explants to Test for Cell Fate Commitment During Embryonic Development
Published on: January 26, 2013
Differential expression of Axin1, Cdc25c and Cdkn2d mRNA in 2-cell stage mouse blastomeres
Jian Hong Sun1, Yong Zhang, Bao Ying Yin
1Institute of Biological Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, P.R. China.
Abstract:
There is increasing evidence to show that 2-cell stage mouse blastomeres have differing developmental properties. Additionally, it has been suggested that such a difference might be due to their distribution of mRNA and/or protein asymmetry. However, to date, the exact genes that are involved in the orientation and order of blastomere division are not known. In this study, some differentially expressed transcripts were identified. Axin1, cell division cycle 25 homolog C (Cdc25c) and cyclin-dependent inhibitor 2D (Cdkn2d) were selected for validation by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on published data. Our real-time PCR results demonstrated that Axin1, Cdc25c and Cdkn2d genes had different levels of expression among blastomeres of the mouse 2-cell embryo i.e. the level of Axin1 mRNA was significantly higher in one blastomere when compared with the other blastomeres of the 2-cell embryo (p < 0.05). The variation in Cdc25c (p < 0.05) and Cdkn2d (p < 0.01) mRNA expression followed a similar trend to that of Axin1. In addition, the highest levels of expression of these three genes were detected in the same blastomere in the 2-cell embryo. We confirmed that there was an asymmetrical distribution pattern for Axin1, Cdc25c and Cdkn2d transcripts in 2-cell embryos. In conclusion, this study demonstrated clearly that there is embryonic asymmetry at the 2-cell stage and that these differentially expressed genes may result in differentiation in expression in embryo development.
Insights
Early mouse embryos show gene asymmetry at the 2-cell stage. Specific genes like Axin1, Cdc25c, and Cdkn2d are unevenly distributed, suggesting a role in embryonic development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
- Genomics
Background:
- 2-cell stage mouse blastomeres exhibit distinct developmental properties.
- This heterogeneity is hypothesized to stem from asymmetric mRNA and protein distribution.
- The specific genes regulating blastomere division orientation and order remain unidentified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify differentially expressed transcripts in 2-cell stage mouse blastomeres.
- To validate the expression patterns of Axin1, Cdc25c, and Cdkn2d.
- To investigate the asymmetrical distribution of these transcripts in early embryos.
Main Methods:
- Differential transcript screening.
- Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
- Analysis of gene expression in individual blastomeres of 2-cell mouse embryos.
Main Results:
- Axin1, Cdc25c, and Cdkn2d transcripts showed significantly different expression levels between blastomeres.
- The highest expression of these three genes was consistently found in the same blastomere.
- An asymmetrical distribution pattern for Axin1, Cdc25c, and Cdkn2d mRNA was confirmed in 2-cell embryos.
Conclusions:
- Embryonic asymmetry is evident at the 2-cell stage in mice.
- The identified differentially expressed genes (Axin1, Cdc25c, Cdkn2d) exhibit asymmetrical distribution.
- These genes likely contribute to subsequent differentiation during early embryo development.
