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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Preparation of Rat Serum Suitable for Mammalian Whole Embryo Culture
Published on: August 3, 2014
Instructions for Assembling the Early Mammalian Embryo
Melanie D White1, Jennifer Zenker1, Stephanie Bissiere1
1Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A(∗)STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673.
Abstract:
The preimplantation mouse embryo is a simple self-contained system, making it an excellent model to discover how mammalian cells function in real time and in vivo. Work over the last decade has revealed some key morphogenetic mechanisms that drive early development, yielding rudimentary instructions for the generation of a mammalian embryo. Here, we review the instructions revealed thus far, and then discuss remaining challenges to discover upstream factors controlling cell fate determination, test the role of mechanisms based on biological noise, and take advantage of recent technological developments to advance the spatial and temporal resolution of our current understanding.
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