A molecular basis for developmental plasticity in early mammalian embryos.
Early mammalian embryos exhibit remarkable plasticity, as highlighted by the ability of separated early blastomeres to produce a whole organism. Recent work in the mouse implicates a network of transcription factors in governing the establishment of the primary embryonic lineages. A combination of genetics and embryology has uncovered the organisation and function of the components of this network, revealing a gradual resolution from ubiquitous to lineage-specific expression through a combination of defined regulatory relationships, spatially organised signalling, and biases from mechanical inputs. Here, we summarise this information, link it to classical embryology and propose a molecular framework for the establishment and regulation of developmental plasticity.
Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. ama11@hermes.cam.ac.uk
Alfonso
A
Martinez Arias
Jennifer
J
Nichols
Christian
C
Schröter
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
D014157:Transcription Factors
Chimaera; Developmental plasticity; Regulative development; Stochastic gene expression; Twin