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Related Concept Videos

Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

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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...
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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...
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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.
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Updated: Dec 30, 2025

The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
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Gastrulation in the sea urchin.

David R McClay1, Jacob Warner2, Megan Martik3

  • 1Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.

Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|January 22, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Sea urchin gastrulation is a fundamental developmental process. This review details the molecular mechanisms driving key morphogenetic events, including epithelial-mesenchymal transitions and archenteron formation, crucial for establishing the animal body plan.

Keywords:
Convergent-extensionEpithelial-mesenchymal transitionPigment cellsPrimordial germ cellsSea urchinWnt

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Gastrulation is a critical evolutionary innovation establishing the fundamental animal body plan.
  • The sea urchin embryo exhibits a simplified and elegant gastrulation process.
  • Early cell specification dictates transcription factor expression controlling subsequent morphogenetic events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the molecular mechanisms underlying sea urchin gastrulation.
  • To elucidate the sequence of morphogenetic events during sea urchin development.
  • To highlight the role of transcription factors in orchestrating gastrulation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on sea urchin embryogenesis.
  • Analysis of cell biological processes involved in gastrulation.
  • Identification of upstream transcription factors controlling morphogenetic movements.

Main Results:

  • Gastrulation involves sequential epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) of various cell types.
  • Key events include archenteron invagination, extension, and remodeling into the gut.
  • Formation of the through-gut involves fusion with the stomodaeum, with coelomic pouches budding off.
  • Primordial germ cells and immune cells are released via a second EMT wave.

Conclusions:

  • Sea urchin gastrulation is a precisely timed sequence of morphogenetic events.
  • Understanding the molecular basis of these events is crucial for comprehending animal development.
  • Transcription factors play a pivotal role in regulating the cascade of developmental processes.