Project 6

Studying the dynamics of morphogenetic events during mouse peri- and post-implantation development

Supervisor: Dr. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, co-supervisors: local: Dr. Neophytos Christodoulou, external: Dr. Nadine Peyriéras (P3)

Objectives:

  • Determine cell behaviour during formation and further development of two essential extra-embryonic tissues: visceral endoderm (VE) that gives rise to the yolk sac and extra-embryonic ectoderm (ExE) to the placenta.
  • Compare development of embryonic-VE vs extra-embryonic-VE and define the timing of tissue segregation.
  • Study ExE cavity formation and fusion of Epiblast (EPI) and ExE cavities.

Expected Results:

  • Maps of spatiotemporal cell reorganisation and movement within two extra-embryonic tissues (VE and ExE) surrounding the forming foetus
  • Comparison of embryonic and extra-embryonic VE morphogenesis
  • Mechanisms of ExE cavity formation and fusion of cavities and its developmental context

Secondments:

  • Academic: P3 CNRS, Dr N. Peyriéras, exchange of practices for embryo imaging.
  • Industrial: P13 4D-Nature, J. Ripoll, Introduction to other image acquisition systems and methods

Links to other projects: Close collaboration with ESR5 (CNRS) for mammalian embryo manipulations, labelling and imaging and with ESR9 for the implementation of new microscope solutions.