Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
University of Cambridge
Mapping the route from totipotency to
lineage specification in mammalian
development
22nd May, 1pm
June Lloyd Seminar Room (PUW4), ICH
Implantation is the critical phase in mammalian pregnancy during which the basic
body plan is generated. At this stage, the founder tissue of the foetus - the epiblast transforms into a polarized epithelial tissue and initiates the progression towards
lineage specification. Given the small size and inaccessibility of the embryo at this
stage, the mechanics underlying the observed architectural changes and how they
are linked to the restriction of developmental plasticity are largely unknown. Here,
by combining a new embryo culture method with 3D embryonic stem cell cultures,
and dissection of embryos from the mother’s uterus, I will describe how embryo
architecture and gene expression profiles evolve together upon implantation. These
studies represent the basis to explore how changes in tissue shape may route the
exit from pluripotency during implantation development.