Embryonic Development News and Research

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Embryonic development or embryogenesis is the process by which the embryo is formed and develops. It starts with the fertilization of the ovum, egg, which, after fertilization, is then called a zygote. The zygote undergoes rapid mitotic divisions, the formation of two exact genetic replicates of the original cell, with no significant growth (a process known as cleavage) and cellular differentiation, leading to development of an embryo.

Messenger cells hold key to better bone healing

How do bones heal, and how could they heal better? The answer to these questions may lie in a newly discovered population of "messenger" cells, according to a recent USC Stem Cell study published in the journal eLife.

6 May 2019

The sense of touch is defined and fully functional before birth

All the surface of the human body is represented in the cerebral cortex in a transversal band localized at the external part of the cerebral hemispheres: the somatosensory cortex.

3 May 2019

Scientists describe how cells 'decide' between pluripotency and differentiation

Induced pluripotent stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body or remain in their original form. In the current edition of Molecular Cell, scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe how cells “decide” which of these two directions to take.

3 May 2019

Synthetic biologists add analog-to-digital signal processing to genetic circuitry of living cells

Synthetic biologists have added high-precision analog-to-digital signal processing to the genetic circuitry of living cells.

19 Apr 2019

KZFPs play a key role in the regulation of human genome

The human genome is fascinating. Once predicted to contain about a hundred thousand protein-coding genes, it now seems that the number is closer to twenty thousand, and maybe less.

19 Apr 2019

Three studies show how tumors hijack the immune system to develop radiotherapy resistance

More than a decade ago, radiation oncologists noticed a nifty phenomenon: Sometimes radiation used locally against a tumor could excite the immune system to attack cancer systemically throughout the body.

17 Apr 2019

New imaging technology will improve understanding of embryonic development

Soon after conception, an embryo's circulatory system connects to that of its mother. Complications that occur at this critical time can result in miscarriage or birth defects with long-term chronic conditions.

9 Apr 2019

New molecular mechanism involved in pancreas repair identified

Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli and Rita Carmona, researchers of the UMA Department of Animal Biology, have identified a new molecular mechanism involved in pancreas repair.

25 Mar 2019

Natural speed limit on DNA replication sets pace for life's first steps

Fruit flies make for stingy mothers, imparting only a portion of the genetic building blocks their offspring need to survive. The rest must be produced by the fertilized egg in its first few steps of growth.

15 Mar 2019

Nicotine could affect human embryonic development at the single-cell level

Nicotine induces widespread adverse effects on human embryonic development at the level of individual cells, researchers report February 28th in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

4 Mar 2019

Protein signaling in embryos is far more complex than previously thought

How cells in developing embryos communicate depends a great deal on context, according to scientists at Rice University.

2 Mar 2019

Researchers discover new mechanism of bone growth

In a paper published in the journal Nature, an international research team led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report that bone growth in mice takes place in accordance with the same principles as when new cells are constantly produced in blood, skin and other tissue.

27 Feb 2019

Study gives a snapshot of crocodile evolution

The story that's often told about crocodiles is that they're among the most perfectly adapted creatures on the planet - living fossils that have remained virtually unchanged for millions of years.

21 Feb 2019

Researchers create new map of the brain's own immune system

A team of researchers under the direction of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has created an entirely new map of the brain's own immune system in humans and mice.

19 Feb 2019

Mutations in folliculin gene affect embryo implantation

New information is unfolding on the genetic controls of an early turning point in pregnancy. As the tiny, dividing cell mass, the blastocyst, travels from the oviduct and lodges in the wall of the uterus, the cells must exit their pre-implantation state and be ready for post-implantation development.

7 Feb 2019

Study reveals mechanisms responsible for embryonic development in fruit flies

The first moments of life unfold with incredible precision. Now, using mathematical tools and the help of fruit flies, researchers at Princeton have uncovered new findings about the mechanisms behind this precision.

1 Feb 2019

Study sheds light on the genetic causes of tumors in salivary glands

Acinic cell carcinoma is the third most common malignant form of salivary gland cancer. These tumors are similar to normal salivary gland tissue and occur most frequently in the parotid gland.

31 Jan 2019

Behavioral experiments confirm that additional neurons improve brain function

Most neurons in the human brain are generated from neural stem cells during embryonic development. After birth, a small reservoir of stem cells remains in the brain that keeps on producing new neurons throughout life.

18 Jan 2019

Breast cancer cells in mice coaxed to turn into harmless fat cells

As cancer cells respond to cues in their microenvironment, they can enter a highly plastic state in which they are susceptible to transdifferentiation into a different type of cell.

16 Jan 2019

Turning breast cancer cells into fat cells prevents the formation of metastases

An innovative combination therapy can force malignant breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells. This can be used to prevent the formation of metastases in mice, as researchers at the University of Basel's Department of Biomedicine recently reported in the journal Cancer Cell.

14 Jan 2019