Common principles of early mammalian embryo self-organisation

Pre-implantation mammalian development unites extreme plasticity with a robust outcome: the formation of a blastocyst, an organised, multi-layered, structure ready for implantation. The process of blastocyst formation is one of the best-known examples of self-organisation. The first three cell lineages in mammalian development specify and arrange themselves during the morphogenic process based on cell–cell interactions. Despite decades of research, the unifying principles driving early mammalian development are still not fully defined. Here, we highlight common features for the role of physical forces, molecular and cellular mechanisms in driving self-organisation and lineage formation that are shared between eutherian mammals.