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

69.4K
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...
69.4K
Morphogenesis02:19

Morphogenesis

30.9K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
30.9K
Cleavage and Blastulation01:33

Cleavage and Blastulation

51.4K
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.
51.4K
Determination01:51

Determination

21.4K
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...
21.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The persistence of potential: The life of Sir John B. Gurdon.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

A conjugal gene drive-like system efficiently suppresses antibiotic resistance in a bacterial population.

npj antimicrobials and resistance·2026
Same author

Anthrax ET activates Rac1 and RTK signaling to induce F-actin reorganization and endothelial permeability.

iScience·2025
Same author

Driving a protective allele of the mosquito FREP1 gene to combat malaria.

Nature·2025
Same author

Double assurance in the induction of axial development by egg dorsal determinants in <i>Xenopus</i> embryos.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

A self-eliminating allelic-drive reverses insecticide resistance in Drosophila leaving no transgene in the population.

Nature communications·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Analysis of Cell Differentiation, Morphogenesis, and Patterning During Chicken Embryogenesis Using the Soaked-Bead Assay
06:49

Analysis of Cell Differentiation, Morphogenesis, and Patterning During Chicken Embryogenesis Using the Soaked-Bead Assay

Published on: January 12, 2022

3.8K

EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT. BMP gradients: A paradigm for morphogen-mediated developmental patterning.

Ethan Bier1, Edward M De Robertis2

  • 1Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92095-0349, USA. ebier@ucsd.edu ederobertis@mednet.ucla.edu.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 27, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate cell fate during embryonic development. BMPs and their antagonists establish key tissue patterns, organizing body axes and growth through gradient signaling.

More Related Videos

Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor &#223; Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos
06:57

Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor ß Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos

Published on: July 21, 2021

2.8K
Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

11.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 8, 2026

Analysis of Cell Differentiation, Morphogenesis, and Patterning During Chicken Embryogenesis Using the Soaked-Bead Assay
06:49

Analysis of Cell Differentiation, Morphogenesis, and Patterning During Chicken Embryogenesis Using the Soaked-Bead Assay

Published on: January 12, 2022

3.8K
Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor &#223; Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos
06:57

Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor ß Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos

Published on: July 21, 2021

2.8K
Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

11.9K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are crucial signaling molecules in embryonic development.
  • BMPs and their antagonists establish fundamental tissue patterns, such as epidermal versus central nervous system domains.
  • BMP antagonists mediate neural induction, a process studied for nearly a century.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms underlying reliable developmental responses to BMP gradients.
  • To explore the role of BMPs as morphogens in organizing embryonic tissues.
  • To summarize how BMP signaling contributes to cell fate determination.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on BMP signaling and developmental biology.
  • Analysis of conserved mechanisms in vertebrate and invertebrate embryos.
  • Synthesis of findings on BMP gradients and morphogen systems.

Main Results:

  • BMPs act in a dose-dependent manner to control cell fate.
  • BMP gradients are essential for subdividing germ layers and organizing body axes.
  • BMP signaling regulates growth, stem cell maintenance, and inductive signaling.

Conclusions:

  • BMPs and their antagonists are key regulators of embryonic patterning.
  • Understanding BMP gradient mechanisms is vital for comprehending developmental processes.
  • This review synthesizes current knowledge on BMPs as morphogens in development.