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.

Study provides genomic insights into life history tradeoffs in butterflies

Have you ever wandered through your garden or a meadow on a summer day and wondered why and how butterflies exhibit such beautiful and diverse colors? Scientists have, especially when thinking about butterflies in the genus Colias. In most Colias butterflies, all males and most females are an orange or yellow color, but some females are white.

18 Dec 2019

A new function identified for glycine receptors during embryonic development

Glycine receptors are one of the most widely distributed inhibitory receptors in the central nervous system and have important roles in a variety of physiological processes.

18 Dec 2019

Penn researchers track defective sperm epigenome linked to male infertility

One out of eight couples has trouble conceiving, with nearly a quarter of those cases caused by unexplained male infertility. For the past decade, research has linked that infertility to defective sperm that fail to "evict" proteins called histones from DNA during development.

16 Dec 2019

Important discovery about male infertility could lead to new treatments

Using a new mouse model, Penn Medicine researchers have identified defects in the sperm epigenome that cause male infertility.

16 Dec 2019

Discovery of novel mechanism by which certain breast cancers can metastasize

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have found a novel mechanism to explain the resistance of certain breast cancers that spread in the major organs of the body. They hope that this would help develop new therapeutic strategies to treat the cancer.

12 Dec 2019

Researchers show how the ductal system connecting digestive organs is formed

A specialized system of ducts transports bile and enzymes from the liver and pancreas to the intestine. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have shown how this ductal system is formed. The new knowledge can help understanding how congenital diseases in that part of the body arise.

3 Dec 2019

Scientists grow complex organoids in the lab

Scientists at the University of Würzburg have successfully produced human tissues from stem cells. They have a complexity similar to that of normal tissue and are far superior to previous structures.

19 Nov 2019

New molecule can reduce aggressiveness of embryonal central nervous system tumors

In Brazil, scientists affiliated with the Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center (HUG-CELL) at the University of São Paulo (USP) have identified a molecule capable of reducing the aggressiveness of embryonal central nervous system tumors.

7 Nov 2019

Cytoplasm of ruptured Xenopus frog eggs reorganizes into cell-like compartments, study shows

Can scrambled eggs unscramble themselves? Well, sort of.

6 Nov 2019

New technique uses light to control lifetime of protein inside the cell

Researchers report they have developed a new technique that uses light to control the lifetime of a protein inside the cell. This method will allow scientists to better observe how specific proteins contribute to health, development and disease.

4 Nov 2019

Some deadly skin cancers may originate in hair follicles

Some deadly skin cancers may originate in the pigment-making stem cells in hair follicles rather than in skin.

4 Nov 2019

Study provides a first look into black box of embryonic development

Little is known about the molecular and cellular events that occur during early embryonic development in primate species.

31 Oct 2019

Scientists identify protein that pulls the brake on nerve growth

During embryonic development, nerve cells form thin, long extensions, which they use to wire up a complex network, the brain. Scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn have now identified a protein that regulates the growth of these extensions by pulling a brake.

31 Oct 2019

Study links common chemical to rare birth defect in mice

A chemical commonly used in consumer and agricultural products to boost the effectiveness of insecticides has been linked to a rare birth defect in mice.

23 Oct 2019

Researchers uncover earlier origin of the neural crest in chick embryos

Neural crest cells -- embryonic cells in vertebrates that travel throughout the body and generate many cell types -- have been thought to originate in the ectoderm, the outermost of the three germ layers formed in the earliest stages of embryonic development.

22 Oct 2019

Researchers elucidate properties of blood factor involved in weight loss and aging

Aging is a process that affects all functions of the human body, particularly brain function. However, aging can be delayed through lifestyle changes (physical exercise, restricting calorie intake, etc.).

22 Oct 2019

Rice system helps bioscientists learn how ectoderm cells begin to differentiate

During embryonic development, the entire nervous system, the skin and the sensory organs emerge from a single sheet of cells known as the ectoderm. While there have been extensive studies of how this sheet forms all these derivatives, it hasn't been possible to study the process in humans - until now.

17 Oct 2019

SOX9 broadly modifies the severity of Alagille syndrome liver disease in mice

Alagille syndrome is a rare pediatric genetic disorder that can affect the liver, heart, kidneys, blood vessels, skeleton and other tissues.

11 Oct 2019

Histone modifications play important role in 'zygotic genome activation'

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology observed changes to the gene-regulating factors during zebrafish development and discovered that modifications to "histone H3", one of the proteins around which DNA is bound, play an important role in "zygotic genome activation" or transition of control of zebrafish embryonic development from maternal material to the zygote .

8 Oct 2019

Newly discovered molecular process could speed up recovery from nerve injuries

Twenty million Americans suffer from peripheral nerve injuries, which can be caused by traumas such as combat wounds and motorcycle crashes as well as medical disorders including diabetes.

3 Oct 2019