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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...
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The hypoblast (visceral endoderm): an evo-devo perspective.

Claudio D Stern1, Karen M Downs

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, GowerStreet (Anatomy Building), London WC1E 6BT, UK. c.stern@ucl.ac.uk

Development (Cambridge, England)
|February 23, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The hypoblast, an extra-embryonic tissue, is crucial for amniote embryonic development by regulating body plan formation and protecting neural development. It controls cell movements and signaling, ensuring proper tissue differentiation and preventing developmental errors.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Embryology

Background:

  • Amniote embryos evolved beyond intracellular nutrition, leading to slower development and reduced maternal influence on polarity.
  • Extra-embryonic tissues, like the hypoblast, emerged to support embryonic development and introduce novel functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of the hypoblast in establishing the amniote body plan and early neural development.
  • To understand how the hypoblast influences epiblast cell behavior and tissue patterning.

Main Methods:

  • The study focuses on the functional analysis of the hypoblast in amniote embryos.
  • Key processes investigated include primitive streak formation, bilateral symmetry establishment, and gene expression induction.

Main Results:

  • The hypoblast controls epiblast cell movements essential for primitive streak formation and bilateral symmetry.
  • It transiently induces pre-neural markers in the epiblast, delaying primitive streak formation.
  • Post-gastrulation, the hypoblast may shield anterior neural precursors from caudalizing signals.

Conclusions:

  • The hypoblast plays a critical role in fixing the body plan by orchestrating gastrulation movements and early neural specification.
  • It acts as a signaling center, separating developing mesendodermal and neuroectodermal domains and protecting anterior neural fates.