Aptly named visceral endoderm.
The very early mouse embryo is initially covered by a layer of cells called visceral endoderm that despite its name (visceral means associated with internal organs) was only thought to give rise to extraembryonic structures. Now, in this issue of Developmental Cell, Kwon et al. (2008) show unexpectedly that a significant population of visceral endoderm cells does contribute, along with epiblast-derived endoderm, to the embryo proper.
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. c.stern@ucl.ac.uk
Claudio D
CD
Stern
D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004707:Endoderm / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005321:Extraembryonic Membranes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000196:embryology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000196:embryology
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins