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Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Mouse Embryonic Development in a Serum-free Whole Embryo Culture System
Published on: March 1, 2014
Dynamic metabolism during early mammalian embryogenesis
Jing Zhao1, Wenjie Wang2, Ling Zhang1
1Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
Abstract:
Dynamic metabolism is exhibited by early mammalian embryos to support changing cell fates during development. It is widely acknowledged that metabolic pathways not only satisfy cellular energetic demands, but also play pivotal roles in the process of cell signalling, gene regulation, cell proliferation and differentiation. Recently, various new technological advances have been made in metabolomics and computational analysis, deepening our understanding of the crucial role of dynamic metabolism during early mammalian embryogenesis. In this Review, we summarize recent studies on oocyte and embryo metabolism and its regulation, with a particular focus on its association with key developmental events such as fertilization, zygote genome activation and cell fate determination. In addition, we discuss the mechanisms of certain metabolites that, in addition to serving as energy sources, contribute to epigenetic modifications.
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