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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Generation of Aggregates of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells that Show Symmetry Breaking, Polarization and Emergent Collective Behaviour In Vitro

Generation of Aggregates of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells that Show Symmetry Breaking, Polarization and Emergent Collective Behaviour In Vitro

Published on: November 24, 2015

Cellular protrusions in 3D: Orchestrating early mouse embryogenesis.

Tatiana Omelchenko¹

¹Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York 10065, USA.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology

|May 16, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular protrusions drive embryonic development by guiding collective cell migration. Disruptions in these actin-based structures are linked to birth defects and cancer metastasis.

Keywords:

3D microenvironment Anterior-posterior body axis Cell adhesion Collective cell migration Gastrulation Implantation Morphogenesis Mouse embryo Protrusions Rho GTPases

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Last Updated: Sep 23, 2025

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cell Biology
Embryogenesis

Background:

Cellular protrusions, powered by the actin cytoskeleton, are fundamental for embryonic body formation.
Defects in cellular protrusions are implicated in human conditions like implantation failure, birth defects, and cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of actin-rich cellular protrusions in sculpting the mouse embryo.
To explore how epithelial and mesenchymal cells utilize protrusions during collective migration.
To connect protrusion-driven morphogenesis with developmental disorders and cancer metastasis.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on cellular protrusions in embryonic development.
Analysis of mouse mutants with impaired cellular protrusion formation.
Examination of in vivo mechanisms controlling cell and tissue movements in mouse embryos using advanced techniques.

Main Results:

Epithelial collective migration of the anterior visceral endoderm relies on protrusions for establishing the anterior-posterior axis.
Mesenchymal collective migration during gastrulation uses protrusions for body elongation, somite, and heart formation.
Mouse mutants demonstrate the critical role of protrusions in embryonic morphogenesis and survival.

Conclusions:

Cellular protrusions are essential for embryonic body shape and development.
Understanding protrusion mechanisms offers insights into developmental abnormalities and cancer progression.
Further research into protrusion-driven morphogenesis can illuminate treatments for human diseases.