Research seminars Emergence of the pluripotent Epiblast in early mammalian development

Our project is to understand the genetic mechanisms of cell lineage differentiation in the mouse embryo during preimplantation. We are particularly interested in the differentiation between epiblast cells (Epi) and primitive endoderm cells (PrE) which takes place during the first 3 days in mice, corresponding to the first 6 days in humans. The epiblast cells will produce all the cells of the future individual and its descendants. Moreover, the epi is the source of the famous ES pluripotent stem cells or similar to iPS reprogrammed cells. These cells have the capacity to give any embryonic or adult cell type and therefore have a great potential for cell therapy. Our team is studying how in the embryo Epi cells acquire these "pluripotent" properties and how they differentiate. We are also analysing their relationships with the adjacent tissues of the PrE and trophectoderm, extraembryonic tissues that later participate in the formation of the yolk sac and placenta respectively.