title: How cells change shape and position in the early mammalian embryo.
abstract: During preimplantation development, cells of the mammalian embryo must resolve their shape and position to ensure the future viability of the fetus. These initial changes are established as the embryo expands from one to thirty-two cells, and a group of originally spherical cells is transformed into a more polarized structure with distinct cell geometries and lineages. Recent advances in the application of non-invasive imaging technologies have enabled the discovery of mechanisms regulating patterning of the early mammalian embryo. Here, we review recent findings revealing cell protrusions that trigger early changes in cell shape and embryo compaction, and how anisotropies in mechanical forces drive the first spatial segregation of cells in the embryo to form the pluripotent inner mass.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Melanie D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zenker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bissiere
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore. Electronic address: plachtan@imcb.a-star.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Plachta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019070:Cell Lineage; D048430:Cell Shape; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000378:metabolism