Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

69.8K
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...
69.8K
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

51.6K
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.
51.6K
Neurulation01:30

Neurulation

47.8K
Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...
47.8K
Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation01:10

Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation

7.7K
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
7.7K
Determination01:51

Determination

21.5K
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...
21.5K
Development of Blood Vessels01:07

Development of Blood Vessels

2.0K
The development of the vascular system in a fetus is a complex and intricate process that begins as early as 15 to 16 days post-conception. This process starts outside the embryo, specifically in the mesoderm of the yolk sac, chorion, and connecting stalk. Approximately two days later, the formation of blood vessels occurs within the embryo itself.
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
2.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Amniogenesis in embryos and stem cell models.

Nature cell biology·2026
Same author

iPro2L-Kresidual: A High-Performance Promoter Identification Model for Sequence Nonlinearity and Context Mining.

Genes·2025
Same author

Morphogenetic maturation of chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and its disruption by tumor xenografts.

Developmental biology·2025
Same author

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Cell·2025
Same author

Derivation of embryonic stem cells across avian species.

Nature biotechnology·2025
Same author

EPIFBMC: A New Model for Enhancer-Promoter Interaction Prediction.

International journal of molecular sciences·2025
Same journal

The Drosophila ovarian terminal filament imports lipophilic molecules that support cyst and follicle development within the ovariole.

Developmental biology·2026
Same journal

Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 1 Controls Distal Lung Formation via Wnt and PDGF Signaling.

Developmental biology·2026
Same journal

The vascular-osteogenic interface in craniofacial development: a structured review of emerging associations in congenital malformations.

Developmental biology·2026
Same journal

Turning off metamorphosis: Thyroid hormone deregulation in the evolution of obligately paedomorphic salamanders.

Developmental biology·2026
Same journal

Developmental analysis of the cone photoreceptor-less little skate retina reveals distinct Onecut1 isoforms.

Developmental biology·2026
Same journal

Germline cysts require Ecdysone receptor for proper timing of encapsulation in the Drosophila ovary.

Developmental biology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Stem cell-like Xenopus Embryonic Explants to Study Early Neural Developmental Features In Vitro and In Vivo
11:13

Stem cell-like Xenopus Embryonic Explants to Study Early Neural Developmental Features In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 2, 2016

8.6K

Epiblast morphogenesis before gastrulation.

Guojun Sheng1

  • 1Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe 650-0047, Hyogo, Japan.

Developmental Biology
|December 3, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The epiblast

Keywords:
AmnioteEpiblastHypoblastMesenchymal–epithelial transitionMorphogenesisTrophoblast

More Related Videos

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
12:59

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

4.3K
Generation of Naïve Blastoderm Explants from Zebrafish Embryos
07:21

Generation of Naïve Blastoderm Explants from Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: July 30, 2021

4.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Stem cell-like Xenopus Embryonic Explants to Study Early Neural Developmental Features In Vitro and In Vivo
11:13

Stem cell-like Xenopus Embryonic Explants to Study Early Neural Developmental Features In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 2, 2016

8.6K
Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
12:59

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

4.3K
Generation of Naïve Blastoderm Explants from Zebrafish Embryos
07:21

Generation of Naïve Blastoderm Explants from Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: July 30, 2021

4.1K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Cell biology
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • The epiblast forms all tissues in amniote embryos, but its specification alongside trophoblast and hypoblast lineages is complex.
  • Understanding the interplay between molecular cues and morphogenetic changes in these early lineages is crucial.
  • The diversity of epithelial epiblast formation mechanisms across amniotes remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the ontogeny of the epithelial epiblast across different amniote groups.
  • To highlight the varied cell biological mechanisms leading to the conserved epithelial structure required for gastrulation.
  • To discuss the limitations of linking cell fate to shape and position, and the relationship between epiblast epithelialization and pluripotency.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative review of epiblast ontogeny in avian, reptilian, eutherian, marsupial, and monotreme species.
  • Analysis of cell biological mechanisms, including mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET).
  • Discussion of evolutionary constraints and potential implications for stem cell biology.

Main Results:

  • Amniote epiblast formation exhibits significant diversity in timing and mechanisms, with MET occurring post-specification in some groups and pre-specification in others.
  • The presence of polar trophoblast is unique to eutherian mammals.
  • Cellular morphology and location are not always reliable indicators of cell fate in early amniote development.

Conclusions:

  • The conserved epithelial epiblast structure is an adaptation to evolutionary constraints on the ancestral amniote pre-gastrulation ectoderm.
  • The timing of epithelialization relative to fate specification varies across amniotes, suggesting diverse evolutionary solutions.
  • The functional significance of epiblast epithelialization for pluripotency and its potential benefits for human epiblast stem cells in vitro require further investigation.