Observing embryonic development
25 Apr 2012 by Evoluted New Media
Embryonic development that was previously unobservable has now become observable thanks to Cambridge researchers who have established a new method to visualise embryos ex utero.
During the first four days of development it is possible to observe developmental events as they happen, but then the embryo implants into the mother’s womb, making this stage of development impossible to see.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge – led by Professor Magdelana Zernicka-Goetz – have developed an in vitro culture system that allows researchers to follow the step-wise development outside the womb for the first eight days.
“Not only is this approach uncovering events previously hidden from view, but it has other potential applications,” said Zernicka-Goetz. “This is the period of development during which the natural population of stem cells undergoes expansion to form the foundation upon which the body can be built.”
The team recorded what happened during development to reveal secrets about the origins of clusters of extra-embryonic cells that signal where to make the head of the embryo. They used gene expression in this head signalling region – marked by a fluorescent protein – to track these cells in mouse embryos living in culture. The cells that lead this migration appear to have a particularly important role in leading the rest and acting as pioneers.
“The new technique offers hope that by permitting the expansion of the natural stem cell population in a manner that resembles normal development, it should make establishing stem cell lines much easier,” said Zernicka-Goetz. “What is certain is that it will allow direct experimental access to this stage of development and should therefore provide a means of gaining greater understanding of embryonic stem cells in their natural development.”
Dynamics of anterior-posterior axis formation in the developing mouse embryo
