Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, UK.
Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, UK.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2020 Oct;64:78-83. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.05.031. Epub 2020 Jul 11.
Gastrulation is an inherently complicated process involving a well-orchestrated series of collective cellular behaviours that lead to the emergence of the body plan of the organism. A convenient method to explore the mechanical and chemical interactions that underpin this process, is to isolate specific tissues and to allow them to develop in isolation or in a novel environment. These approaches are the essence of experimental embryology and have enabled an understanding of the underlying principles of embryogenesis, in a way that observation alone could not. The recent rise of 3D culture systems using Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) has enabled the extension of this approach to mammalian systems. Here, we argue that these ESC based methods are consistent with the program of experimental embryology, and discuss the insights that can be gained from this perspective, particularly focussing the process of gastrulation and the associated emergence of the body plan.
原肠作用是一个固有复杂的过程，涉及一系列精心协调的细胞集体行为，从而形成生物体的体轴模式。探索支撑这一过程的力学和化学相互作用的一种便利方法是分离特定的组织，并允许它们在隔离或新环境中发育。这些方法是实验胚胎学的本质，使我们能够以仅观察所不能达到的方式理解胚胎发生的基本原理。最近使用胚胎干细胞 (ESC) 的 3D 培养系统的兴起使这种方法能够扩展到哺乳动物系统。在这里，我们认为这些基于 ESC 的方法与实验胚胎学的计划是一致的，并讨论了可以从这个角度获得的见解，特别是聚焦原肠作用过程和相关的体轴模式的出现。
