Endoderm formation in the mammalian embryo occurs first in the blastocyst, when the primitive endoderm and pluripotent cells resolve into separate lineages, and again during gastrulation, when the definitive endoderm progenitor population emerges from the primitive streak. The formation of the definitive endoderm can be modeled using pluripotent cell differentiation in culture. The differentiat...

XEN cells are derived from an early stage murine embryo and represent an in vitro model of extraembryonic endoderm, an extraembryonic tissue that is essential for the proper development of the embryo. Visceral endoderm, a subtype of extraembryonic endoderm, is known to directly influence epiblast development through several inductive (and anti-inductive) events. In contrast, while the parietal ...

XEN cells are derived from an early stage murine embryo and represent an in vitro model of extraembryonic endoderm, an extraembryonic tissue that is essential for the proper development of the embryo. Visceral endoderm, a subtype of extraembryonic endoderm, is known to directly influence epiblast development through several inductive (and anti-inductive) events. In contrast, while the parietal ...

XEN cells are derived from an early stage murine embryo and represent an in vitro model of extraembryonic endoderm, an extraembryonic tissue that is essential for the proper development of the embryo. Visceral endoderm, a subtype of extraembryonic endoderm, is known to directly influence epiblast development through several inductive (and anti-inductive) events. In contrast, while the parietal ...

Patterning of the primitive foregut promotes appropriate organ specification along its anterior-posterior axis. However, the molecular pathways specifying foregut endoderm progenitors are poorly understood. We show here that Wnt2/2b signaling is required to specify lung endoderm progenitors within the anterior foregut. Embryos lacking Wnt2/2b expression exhibit complete lung agenesis and do not...

Inner cell masses (ICMs) were isolated by immunosurgery from giant blastocysts formed by the aggregation of three morulae. A layer of endoderm cells formed on the outer surface of these primary ICMs in vitro. When this layer was removed by immunosurgery, a secondary endoderm layer formed. Alphafetoprotein (AFP) was used as a biochemical marker to characterize visceral endoderm formation in thes...

Caudal homeobox genes are found across animals, typically linked to two other in what has been called the ParaHox cluster. These have proposed pattern anterior-posterior axis of endoderm ancestrally, but expression extant groups is varied and often occurs germ layers. Here we examine role embryo mollusc Tritia (Ilyanassa) obsoleta. ToCaudal initially broad, then becomes progressively restricted...

Plasminogen activators are believed to play an important role in tissue remodeling and cell migration. During mouse embryogenesis, visceral endoderm secretes urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) whereas parietal endoderm secretes tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). Visceral endoderm from F9 embryoid bodies can transdifferentiate into parietal endoderm under the appropriate culture co...

Embryonic stem cell-derived endoderm is critical for the development of cellular therapies for the treatment of disease such as diabetes, liver cirrhosis, or pulmonary emphysema. Here, we describe a novel approach to induce endoderm from mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells using fibronectin-coated collagen gels. This technique results in a homogeneous endoderm-like cell population, demonstrating e...