Embryonic Development

Agonists

Mimic actions of ligands

Antagonists

Block ligand receptors

Embryonic Development

The process of gene-directed changes that occur after fertilization that led to the formation of an organism.

4 Subprocesses of Embryonic Development

Cell Division, Cell Differentiation, Pattern Formation, Morphogenesis

Cell Division

Cleavage

Cell Differentiation

Cells become particular cell types.

Pattern Formation

Cells detect positional formation within the embryo and body plan goes into shape.

Morphogenesis

Final shaping of anatomy

Cleavage

Rapid division of cells that don’t grow.

In which cell stages can human embryonic cells become any type.

1-16

What determines what a cell develops into

Exposure to ligand and physical location/contact with other cells.

Totipotent cells

Can become any cell type

Pluripotent Cells

Can become any cell type except placenta

Multipotent Cells

Can become certain different cell types.

Unipotent cells

Fully differentiated

Dedifferentiation

Cells can acquire mutations over time that allow them to dedifferentiate

Pattern Formation

Embryos start to develop axes that allow to define basic body plan.

Polarity

Acquiring axial differences in the embryo.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death

Syndactyly

Failure of the tissue between digits to go through apoptosis.