Proper cell–cell interactions are required for the cells of early embryos to develop normally
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 08:30
in Biology & Nature
Some 50 years have passed since scientists first proposed the so-called 'inside–outside model' of development, which holds that the inner cells of the early embryo eventually form all the definitive structures of the fetus, whereas the outer cells give rise to the placenta. Yet, the determinants of this developmental duality have remained elusive: are lineage decisions predetermined in the egg or is cell–cell contact needed to determine cell fate?