Four simple rules that are sufficient to generate the mammalian blastocyst.

ABSTRACT: Early mammalian development is both highly regulative and self-organizing. It involves the interplay of cell position, predetermined gene regulatory networks, and environmental interactions to generate the physical arrangement of the blastocyst with precise timing. However, this process occurs in the absence of maternal information and in the presence of transcriptional stochasticity. How does the preimplantation embryo ensure robust, reproducible development in this context? It utilizes a versatile toolbox that includes complex intracellular networks coupled to cell-cell communication, segregation by differential adhesion, and apoptosis. Here, we ask whether a minimal set of developmental rules based on this toolbox is sufficient for successful blastocyst development, and to what extent t

SUBMITTER: Nissen SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507476 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature