Tracing the origin of heterogeneity and symmetry breaking in the early mammalian embryo

What breaks symmetry in early mammalian embryonic development has been much questioned. Here, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz and colleagues propose that compartmentalized intracellular reactions generate micro-scale inhomogeneity, which is amplified in the developing embryo, driving pattern formation.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qi Chen, Junchao Shi, Yi Tao, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04155-2