Generating different genetic expression patterns in the early embryo: insights from the mouse model

0425926 - BC 2014 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Bruce, Alexander
Generating different genetic expression patterns in the early embryo: insights from the mouse model.
Reproductive BioMedicine Online. Roč. 27, č. 6 (2013), s. 586-592. ISSN 1472-6483. E-ISSN 1472-6491
Grant - others:Marie Curie Career Integration Grant(CZ) IDNOVCELFAT2011; Czech Science Foundation(CZ) 13-032955
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : cell fate * preimplantation embryo * probabilistic
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 2.980, year: 2013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472648313002435

The divergence of two differentiating extraembryonic cell types (trophectoderm and primitive endoderm) from the pluripotent epiblast population (the source of fetal progenitor cells) by the blastocyst stage of mouse development relies upon the activation and execution of lineage-specific gene expression programmes. While our understanding of the central transcription factor 'effectors' directing these cell-fate choices has accumulated rapidly, what is less clear is how the differential expression of such genes within the diverging lineages is initially generated. This review summarizes and consolidates current understanding. I introduce the traditional concept and importance of a cell's spatial location within the embryo, referencing recent mechanistic and molecular insights relating to cell fate. Additionally, I address the growing body of evidence that suggests that heterogeneities among blastomeres precede, and possibly inform, their spatial segregation in the embryo. I also discuss whether the origins of such early heterogeneity are stochastic and/or indicative of intrinsic properties of the embryo. Lastly, I argue that the robustness and regulative capacity of preimplantation embryonic development may reflect the existence of multiple converging, if not wholly redundant, mechanisms that act together to generate the necessary diversity of inter-cell-lineage gene expression patterns.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0231820